Devil's Hotline
by Nena Camadera
Summary: And so it became that somehow, SG-1 managed to find themselves with not only a demon first-class, but the Daimakaicho herself in their presence as well.
1. What the hell is Enka?

 Summery:  _Hello, you've called the Devil Dealer's Hotline.  Please wait one moment as we send a consultant your way_.  Jack took the phone away from his ear and stared at it in confusion.  What, you though only Goddesses used the phones for wishes?  An OMG!xSG-1 crossover.

Disclaimer:  I do not own SG-1.  Nor do I own anything of Ah! My Goddess

Team night.  One of the few times when SG-1 wasn't on base for matters of nation security or the prevention of world destruction at the hands of aliens with evil snakes in their heads.  It was a time of peace: No projects to work on, nothing to repair, no alien artifacts to translate, and the best part: No God damned, monotonous paperwork.

_Nope_.  Jack thought, greeting Carter at the front door and inviting her inside_. Just me, the team, a few beers, and a movie.  No aliens, no paperwork, and no evil doohickies_.  The thought made him grin, and he shut the door behind Carter as the Major made her way inside, heading into the living room that already contained Daniel and Teal'c.

It wasn't that Jack disliked his job.  No, far from it-he lived for it.  It was just important that he and the others take a break from saving the world on a day-to-day basis.

Locking the door, the Colonel turned and followed the trail Carter had taken into the living room, his hands shoved carelessly in the pockets of his jeans as he spied the rest of his team:  Carter had taken up residence on the couch next to Daniel, while Teal'c had taken over Jack's La-Z-Boy, and, upon Jack's entering, looked up at him before nodding his head in greetings.  Carter and Daniel, who had started a conversation on one doohickey from planet PX-something-or-other, must have noticed Teal'c's action, for the two scientists paused in their conversation to look up and over the couch at him.

Jack clapped his hands and rubbed the two limbs together in exaggerated anticipation "So, Danny-Boy, tell us, what movie did you bring with you for team night?"  He smiled down at the younger man, who gave a sheepish one in reply. 

"Well…I figured after what happened on our last mission, we could use some comedy, so…"  The Archeologist reached down into the bag that he'd brought with him, currently lying next to his feet.  He brought out a slim DVD case and showed Jack the cover.

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?"  Jack read out loud, smirking as he looked from the slim case to the man holding it.  "You weren't kidding when you said, 'after our last mission', where you?"  He got another sheepish grin.

The mission in question had, in no particular order, involved a tribe of overly friendly natives who, if what Daniel said was true, appeared to be of Native American descent.  And, while things appeared to be going well with the natives, SG-1's infamous luck decided to rear it's ugly head, and the team quickly found themselves fleeing for the Stargate after an incident involving some sort of grey substance that looked all too much like brain matter that the locals called a 'delicacy', the escape of several animals the natives thought to be holy (one of which could have passed for a miniature Godzilla if it didn't look so much like a rat), and the local flora seeming to come to life with the intent of 'reaching out and touching someone' (Jack had never, in all his life, been groped before.  He silently declared he'd kill anyone, be it human, animal, alien, or plant, that tried it again.).  All in all, it had been a rather…bad experience, one that still had the staff chuckling over when the news got out of Jack's session with an 'overly friendly vine.'  He was still searching for the son of a bitch who'd left the fern in his office.

But this is besides the point, as Jack snorted and shrugged his shoulders.  "Sure, why not?  It should be good for a few laughs."  Carter grinned at him, and Daniel's smile became a tad less sheepish. 

Jack looked over at Teal'c, who was watching in silence, an eyebrow quirked upwards in question.  Jack's smirk grew into a smile.  "Trust me, it's a classic, you'll love it."

The silver haired man took a few steps back, smiling lightly at his team mates.  "Alrighty then."  He said, gaining an amused glance from Daniel and a snicker from Carter.  "Danny, why don't you start up the movie while I order us some pizza.  Pepperoni alright with everyone?"

Nods and murmurs of agreement met his senses, and with the information in mind, the Colonel turned and left, walking into the kitchen where the phone rested, the numbers of various take out joints written in a familiar scrawl on a pad next to it.  "Lets see here…"  He mumbled, bringing his phone to his ear and punching in the number sequence for the local Pizza Hut.

"Hey Jack."  The older man looked up, registering Daniel hanging near the cupboards.  "Do you have any more popcorn?"

Jack nodded, his thumb coming down on the hapless phone and smashing several buttons.  The man didn't appear to notice.  "Yeah, we should have one bag left.  Should be in the third shelf to the left."

His younger companion nodded.  "Cool, thanks."  With that, his friend turned and began rummaging through the shelves, searching for his intended prize while Jack redirected his attention back to the phone, punching in the last of the four numbers and listening for the tell tale ring to come to an end.

Wait, it was already ringing?

With a disgruntled grunt, Jack brought the phone away from his ear, about to hang up and redial when he heard the other end pick up.  Feeling slightly embarrassed, the silver haired Colonel brought the phone back to his ear, an apology already on his tongue when he heard a computerized female voice coming over the other line.

 _Hello, you've called the Devil Dealer's Hotline.  Please wait one moment as we send a consultant your way_.  Jack took the phone away from his ear and stared at it in confusion.  "What?"  He asked, ignorant of Daniel's curious eyes on his back, the bag of popcorn he'd been searching for held in his hands.

"What is it, Jack?"  Daniel asked, taking a moment to take the plastic off the bag and shove the junk food into the microwave, setting it for several minutes before casually walking to his friend's side.

Jack shook his head, hitting the 'end call' button before once again punching in the number for the Pizza Hut.  "Nothing.  Just dialed a wrong number."  This time making sure the number was correct, he brought the phone once more to his ear.  "You ever hear of something called the 'Devil Dealer's Hotline?'"  He asked, listening as the ringing ended to another line, another automated voice asking to hold for one minute.

Daniel raised an eyebrow in a fashion similar to Teal'c, before shaking his head in amusement.  "Can't say I have.  What did you do, dial up a lawyer?"

Jack snorted.  "Well, you know h-"  He paused, raising a finger up in a 'hang on for a second' gesture.  "Yeah, I'd like to order a large…"

Meanwhile, as the conversation between Jack, Daniel, and the phone played out, a conversation of it's own was forming out in the living room.  Daniel had left Sam with the task of setting up the DVD in Jack's player, and it was slowly becoming obvious that, while the Major had a brilliant mind, she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out how to work Jack's DVD player.  Now she saw why Daniel had decided he'd rather raid Jack's kitchen then start the movie.

From his spot on Jack's recliner, Teal'c watched on in silent amusement as the Major cursed and grumbled to herself, Jack's T.V. blurring or fizzing every now and then as Sam tampered with the various electronics hooked to the screen.  Teal'c watched for several minutes.  All of which yielded little to no success on Sam's part.

Silently, Teal'c left the comfort of the recliner and moved towards Sam, deciding to see what he could offer in the way of help.  As he approached, the blonde woman's mutterings grew more audible, and he could make out the words, '…o many damn cables.  Where the hell do they all plug in?  …should just break down and buy a new one.  Not like money is a problem…"

It was around this time that Jack, in the other room, dialed the wrong number to the Pizza Hut, landing him on the Devil Dealer's Hotline. 

And that's when things got…interesting, to say the least.

As Teal'c opened his mouth to offer his assistance to Sam, a glint coming at him from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and the large man ducked, just as…something…flew through the space his head had, up until a second ago, occupied.  Dark eyes trailed after the offending item, watching as it slowed it's pace somewhat and giving the Jaffa an idea of just _what_ it was.  Both eyebrows raised in surprise and question.

"Major Carter."  Sam grunted, but didn't look up.  "What is it Teal'c?"  She asked, a small hint of annoyance in her voice as she resisted the urge to pound her fist down onto the television.  It was one of the older models, and while generally there was nothing wrong with that, it had so many adapters and other various accessories connected to it that the machine was quickly whittling away at her nerves.

From somewhere above her head and to her left, Teal'c responded.  "Is it common for the cases of compact disks to fly through the air without the use of ulterior devices?" 

Sam paused, one hand wrapped around a handful of cables, threatening to rip then out of their sockets for not complying to her demands, the other resting threateningly on top of the television.  She blinked several times, her mind slowly processing the words Teal'c had uttered.  The woman slowly turned to look up at her companion, a small frown on her face and her brows furrowed in confusion.  "Teal'c?"  She asked.  "What are you talking…about…"

A CD case was floating casually in front of Teal'c's face, as though the small plastic container had simply decided to ignore the laws of physics and hang around the jaffa's head for a little while.  She could almost hear the words that were sure to spew forth from the plastic case.  _"HI!  How ya' doing?  Oh me? I'm just Peachy!  Do you mind if I float around your head for a little while?  You don't?  Great!"_  For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why the voice she'd given it was the same as that green dog from that strange cartoon Cassie watched every now and then.

But whatever the reason, the image of a CD case with a high pitched voice floating over her solemn friend's head caused the young woman to release a somewhat nervous laugh.

"I fail to see what is so amusing in this situation, Major Carter."  Teal'c's voice rumbled through her consciousness, bringing Sam back to reality, where the CD still hung patiently in front of Teal'c, apparently waiting for the large man to do…something.

The laugh was immediately cut off.  "There's nothing funny about it."  She said, releasing the cables in her hand and slowly standing up.  Blue eyes followed the object as she moved to stand be Teal'c's side, the jaffa's own eyes having not left the case since it's initial 'attack.'

Her brows furrowed together in confusion, as she examined the case, finding it coverless, only containing a CD with the words _Enka Hits_ stenciled on to the front.  "Enka?  What the hell is that?"  She murmured, hearing Teal'c's soft grumble of agreement.

"Hmmm…."  The young woman reached a hesitant hand out, lightly touching the floating case before quickly drawing it back, as though afraid the hovering plastic might reach out and bite her.  Nothing of the sort happened, and with a look over at the stationary Teal'c, who, whiled tense, offered no objections, Sam reached out and grabbed the case.

She found no invisible force preventing her from grabbing the case, nor anything else that could have passed for 'out of the ordinary.'  With a confused frown, the Major tossed it gently in the air, giving the case the opportunity to return to it's hovering position once more.  It came down into her hands, however, as though it were nothing more then the average CD case.

She looked up at Teal'c once more, meeting his raised eyebrow with a shrug.  "Should we not tell the others of this?"  The Jaffa asked, his eyebrows drawn together in a serious expression as he loomed over his smaller companion's form. 

Sam nodded her head, her hands fiddling with the case as they sought out an opening even as her mouth opened to call the other two men from out of the kitchen.  As it was, the duo in question entered the living room just as Sam was about to call for them, Daniel holding a bag of unopened popcorn in one hand, apparently deep in conversation with Jack about the similarities between body-stealing Goa'uld and blood-sucking lawyers.

"Sir!"  The lone female of the group cried out, drawing the duo's attention away from their somewhat odd conversation and towards the Major and Jaffa, the former of which was still trying to pry open the 'possessed' CD case.  Jack took in the scene with two raised eyebrows, a mixture of curiosity and amusement in his dark eyes. 

"Carter."  He replied, his voice holding a small note of expectancy as the man shoved his hands into his pocket.  "Did we decide on not watching a movie?"  He asked, his gaze shifting from his second-in-command and the Jaffa at her side to the television with it's fuzzy screen in the background.  "I mean, I know my T.V. can be stubborn, but I didn't think you'd let something like that beat you, Carter."

Beside him, Daniel took the opportunity to throw in his two cents worth.  "Stubborn?"  He snorted.  "With all the wires and cables you have connected to that thing, it'd take a shipload of Asguard and several Ancients to figure out how to get the VCR working, let alone the DVD player."  He easily dodged the half-hearted swing aimed at his arm.

Jack glared at his younger friend as Sam and Teal'c looked on, the CD case still held tightly in the Major's hand, a sure sign that it had not yet been forgotten.  "Sir…"  Sam trailed off, once more gaining her commanding officer's attention.

The retort that was no doubt on the edge of Jack's lips died away as he looked over at Sam.  "Ah yes, so tell me Carter, what's with the CD?  Did you decide to raid my music for Karaoke or something?"  He asked, walking towards her and looking down at the captive CD.

"_Enka Hits_?"  He said aloud.  "Is this one of yours, Carter?  I'm pretty sure I don't listen to any of her music." Sam sent him a confused look, one that was evident in her next words.  "Sir?"  She asked, trying to understand what he meant.

Jack tipped his head to the side, looking at her in curiosity.  "So it isn't yours then?"  He asked, reaching out and plucking it from the blonde woman's hands.  He flipped it over, examining it much in the same way Sam had just a few minutes ago.  "Huh, I wonder if it's one of Sara's…"  He muttered, more to himself then anyone else. 

Behind him, Daniel peeked over Jack's shoulder, his own curiosity getting the better of him, the bag of popcorn all but forgotten as it rested on a near by table.  "Hmm…an _Enka_ CD?  I wasn't aware you were into that sort of music, Jack."

Jack snorted, the light jibe parting him from distant memories of another time in his life.  "I don't."  He said.  "I don't generally listen to chic music, Daniel." 

The younger man gave his friend a look.  "Jack, _Enka_ is hardly 'chic music.'"  He said, a finger rubbing the bridge of his nose.  It earned him a blank look from Jack, and a grunt from Sam, who, for some reason, looked somewhat frustrated.

"It's not?"  Jack asked, glancing down at his hands, continuing to fiddle with the case.  Daniel shook his head.  "No.  Enka is a form of Japanese music that was popular during World War 2.  It isn't supposed to be as popular now a days though…"  He trailed off as he caught the look on Jack's face.  "What?"

"So, you're telling me that this CD," he tapped the plastic casing with a finger.  "Isn't that one Irish band?"  This time it was Daniel's turn to give Jack a blank look.  "…No.  It isn't."  He said, his eyebrow scrunching together in confusion.  "What band are you talking about?"

Jack scowled, waving his arms about as he sought out the words to describe the band he was talking about.  "You know…that one band…with the female lead singer…"  The blank stare didn't leave Daniel's face.  If anything, it seemed to have multiplied, as now Carter was staring at him blankly as well.

"I believe Colonel O'Neil is referring to the female singer Enya, Daniel Jackson."  Teal'c's voice rang out, causing the rest of SG-1 to look up at him.  Jack snapped his fingers, pointing his free hand at the Jaffa.  "Bingo!  That's who I'm thinking of."  He said, a triumphant smile on his face.  The smile soon faded.  "Wait, Teal'c, how do you know that?"

Teal'c remained impassive, and for the first time, Jack realized that the large warrior's eyes were heavily focused on the CD still in his hand.  "That is not a concern at the moment, Colonel O'Neil."

Jack blinked.  "Oh?  And what is then?"

Sam took the opportunity to make herself known.  "Sir, that CD your holding was floating a little while ago."  She said, her voice holding a hint of aggravation at the time it took to utter those few, important words. 

The reactions that came from the duo who had not been present at the time were somewhat entertaining, to say the least.

Jack paused, raising an eyebrow and slowly gazing down at the case.  "Floating, you say?"  He asked, all too aware that Daniel had decided to take a few steps away from him at the sudden revelation.  "Are you sure Carter?  I mean, maybe you were hallucinating or something."

"Major Carter is indeed correct, O'Neil."  Teal'c said, coming to the woman's defense.  "The case came at me as though it were thrown before coming to a halt in front of me.  It remained floating several feet off the ground until Major Carter grabbed it."

Jack's mouth formed in a silent 'O'.  "I think I'll just put this down then…"  He said, suddenly unsure if he really wanted to play around with an object that had decided to disobey the laws of physics.

And that was also around the time the CD decided it would very much like to be put down as well, and jerked violently in Jack's hand.  Startled at the sudden action, Jack yelped, releasing the CD and watching as it fell to the floor.  It hit the ground spine first, the lid of the case snapping open and releasing the CD from it's bindings.  The CD was glowing.

"Oh hell."  Jack muttered as he and the rest of his team leaped away from the steadily growing brighter compact disk.  Experience had taught him, and the rest of his team for that matter, that when something was starting to glow, it was usually a bad thing.  The glowing CD, as to be expected, was no exception to their experience.

"Hit the deck!"  The silver-haired colonel yelled, diving behind his old couch, keenly aware of Daniel following closely behind him.  The brown eyed man peeked over the couch, where he had just enough time to see Carter and Teal'c flip his table over and duck behind it for cover, drinks and other miscellaneous items scattering to the floor at the duo's action.

As if waiting for all of SG-1 to run for cover, the CD took that moment to shoot an almost blindingly bright beam of red light from itself, the beam growing larger and brighter as it moved to fill the room and it's occupants.  An invisible breeze picked up, growing in intensity to that of a small cyclone.  Small, light objects were quickly pulled upwards, only to be scatted in various directions as they parted from the miniature whirlwind.

 Unable to keep his eyes on the cause of the chaos anymore, Jack looked away, his arms flying over his head in an effort to protect himself from any oncoming items.  Then came a roar like thunder, an explosion, and suddenly it was all over.

The various items that had been uprooted by the small vortex came crashing down, bringing up a wave of dust that hadn't been present before and briefly choking the four present.

Feminine laughter filled the air, and as the spots cleared from his eyes, Jack peeked over his couch.  A woman stood over the CD that had caused the whole mess.  And she was floating several feet in the air.


	2. Heeere's Mara!

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Jack ducked back behind the couch before the intruder took notice of him. Daniel watched him with an expectant look on his face, pressed up against the back of the couch as though he was trying to somehow merge with it. "Well?" He whispered softly, the archeologist's ears straining for any sign of them being detected.

Jack took a deep breath, soothing somewhat jittery nerves. After all, it wasn't every day he was assaulted in his own house. "Well…the way I see it, we have one of two things in my living room. Either the Wicked Witch decided to get a make over, or a vampire Jaffa popped out of that damn CD of Carter's." He muttered, his voice equally soft as he moved to take another peek at the stranger.

Looking up from around the corner of the couch, he watched as the woman slowly descended from where she was, quite literally, hovering over the _Enka_ _Hit's_ CD. A slight frown was etched onto her face, and she was muttering softly to herself and revealing to Jack that the woman did, indeed, have fangs that would have been at home in any vampire movie. The red eyes that scanned the room in irritated curiosity only seemed to add to the affect.

The stranger herself was fairly tall, a fact that didn't change as her booted feet hit the carpet. Long, blonde hair fell in waves over her back while two overly long bangs framed each side of her face, partially obscuring the odd, red, triangular tattoos that lined her brow and cheeks.

Her manner of dress was odd as well, consisting of a thin, black cloak with a gold trim along the front and a matching long sleeved shirt. Brown gloves covered her hands, matching the large boots that partially covered her black pants. From Jack's point of view, the woman looked like a villain reject from the Ren Fair. Wonderful.

A quick glance over to the upturned table told him that he wasn't the only one staring. He caught Carter's eyes as the woman cautiously looked around the table, a frown on her face as she observed Ms. Fangs. As her blue eyes met his brown ones, however, he sent her several hand signals, being careful not to make the motions to obvious, and thus, draw the intruder's attention to himself.

The Major gave a quick nod before disappearing once more behind the table, no doubt explaining their situation to Teal'c and readying the plan he had in mind. He risked another glance at the woman. Nope. Ol' Fangs hadn't noticed them yet. If anything, she seemed to be admiring the disarray her Evil CD of Doom had caused to his house. And she was still muttering indistinctly to herself. Oh well, all the more time to put his plan into action.

The silver haired man ducked back behind the couch, meeting Daniel's gaze with a smirk. "Alright Danny-Boy, it's time to retake what's ours. So here's what I need you to do for me…" Daniel, while unsure if he liked the gleam that had entered his older friend's eyes, none the less leaned in closer as Jack laid out his plan.

They were, after all, SG-1. One woman, even if she had popped out of a CD, was not going to change the fact that they were battle-hardened warriors.

However, there was one thing no one in the quartet took into consideration. And that was the fact that while the team had gone up against aliens, robots, secret government agencies, and a whole plethora of other things, there was one thing they had yet to go up against. And that just so happened to be a demon with a first class, unlimited license.

Mara, as it was, happened to be a demon that held such a license, though for most people, such as SG-1, for example, it was more then a little hard to tell. She didn't exactly have that intimidating aura most people would associate with demons. In fact, had it not been for her red eyes, fangs, and the red markings that showed her status as a demon, she could have passed for any regular human being. A human with an odd sense in fashion, true, but a human none the less.

However, Mara was a demon, and a rather irritated one at that particular moment. First she'd been shanghaied into sealing a contract with some miscellaneous guy (and right when she was in the middle of her latest project too. If it had to be her, couldn't they have waited until she'd finished it first? Granted, she'd done nothing but play tetris while she waited for her minions to finish it up, but that was beside the point.) who, while having quite the track record for chaos and destruction, still seemed like too much of a goody-goody to really be anywhere in Nidhogg's database.

When she'd brought the subject up to the System's Administrator, she'd been told, quite frankly, to 'shut up and quit whining. If you don't like it, take it up with the Boss.' A typical response that came from demons who just really didn't give a flying hoot on how she felt about the matter. (Mara could recall several incidents where she had given a similar response to weaker-classed demons who didn't appreciate her working conditions. She'd found them annoying and had threatened to blast them if they interrupted her again when she was in the middle of beating the game she was playing through.)

But none of that was important at the moment. "First I'm forced to do some lame job in the middle of a project, then it takes forever for this 'O'Neil' guy to open that CD I was using for a catalyst, and now the bastard doesn't even have the guts to show himself to me." Mara muttered angrily, scanning her new surroundings in obvious displeasure.

"Well, at least I know how to make an entrance." She murmured, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she surveyed the various objects thrown about the room. Though she had to admit, the overturned table had surprised her a bit. She hadn't know the vortex wind that had come with her arrival had been strong enough to flip it on it's side like that. "Eh, oh well, it doesn't matter." She said aloud, shrugging her shoulders lightly as she bent down to retrieve the CD she'd used as her means of transportation.

Picking it up, she snapped the case close before stuffing the CD behind her, presumably in some sort of convenient pocket dimension that Gods, demons, a mad scientist by the name of Washu, and a young martial artist by the name of Akane always seemed to have on hand now-a-days.

"Well, at the very least they were _kind_ enough to give me some form of insurance." She stated, completely oblivious of the silent conversation happening between the couch and table. She folded her arms over her chest. "I'd love to see Urd try and pull a one over on me now!" She chuckled darkly for a second, no doubt earning several odd glances from the concealed members of SG-1 as they slowly shifted into position.

"Now then, back to the matter at hand. Where's this O'Neil guy hiding?" Mara asked aloud, running a hand through her thick blonde hair.

Someone clearing their throat from somewhere behind her caught her attention, and Mara turned, a venomous smile on her face. "There you ar-." The man who stood before her was not O'Neil.

The smile left the demon's face, an irritated scowl replacing it. "I don't have time for this." She muttered to herself. "Who the hell are you?" She demanded. "And where the hell is O'Neil?"

The man blinked owlishly at her from behind his glasses, his blue eyes wary. "I'm sorry?" He asked, apparently not all that intimidated by the first-class demon. He also didn't quite seem to understand what she was saying.

_Oh damn._ Mara thought. Since the assignment had begun, most of her words had been spoken in Demon's tongue, the residential language of everyone who resided within Niflheim, otherwise known as Hell. And, aside from a few words that CEO of Hell had picked up on her few trips to Earth (all in Japanese, apparently. It was, after all, where her daughter and the other Norns were located.) the language was entirely incomprehensible to a mortal. Even one who knew over twenty languages, such as the man standing before her.

With an irritated sigh, Mara quickly switched over to the man's native tongue (at least, she thought it was) and spoke again. "Who are you, and do you know where I can find a…" She closed an eye, mentally calling up her client's name. "…a Colonel Jack O'Neil?"

Daniel blinked again. Well this was somewhat unexpected. "Ah…I'm Daniel Jackson…" He said hesitantly. The woman hadn't shown any signs of aggression yet, but he knew he didn't like the smile that had been on her face when she'd turned to greet him. And that language she'd first addressed him in was like nothing he'd ever heard before, be it on Earth or not. "Jack is…a little busy at the moment." He said, ignoring the blur the suddenly moved past Mara, ducking from the shelter of the couch and to the cover of the La-Z-Boy.

The woman frowned, narrowing her red eyes at him. He felt a small shiver race down his spine at the action. Even with her mouth closed, he could still see the peaks of the woman's fangs. _Jack, I swear to God, if I end up a vampire because of you… _ "So what about you?" Daniel asked, changing the direction of the conversation in the hopes of stalling for time. "Who are _you_, and how did you get in here?"

The red-eyed woman raised a golden eyebrow before smirking, crossing her arms over her chest in a somewhat arrogant fashion. "Who am I?" She asked, repeating his earlier question. "I am Mara, demon first class, unlimited." Small sparks danced across her outfit, as though trying to prove her claim while an invisible wind began to blow around her, sending both her cape and hair dancing wildly.

However, several years as a member of the infamous SG-1 had left Daniel somewhat jaded to such displays, and while the display and declaration was surprising, he found himself more concerned with one of the many tiny sparks leaving Mara's form and setting fire to the house.

"Ah…that's all well and good and all…but could you please stop with the sparks?" The brown haired man asked, trying to as polite as possible without the fear of being set on fire by the unpredictable 'demon'. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to let the house catch on fire, after all…"

The woman, Mara, snorted, but none the less complied with Daniel's wishes, the sparks fading away and the wind dieing down into nothing once more. "Don't insult me. Only a lesser-ranked demon would be so unskilled as to set a house on fire accidentally with such a minor spell." She said, sending a somewhat miffed glare his way.

Daniel quickly nodded his head, agreeing with the woman even though he had little understanding of what it was he was agreeing about. "Right…so why are you here? What do you want with Jack, of all people?"

Sure the man had the devil's luck when it came to getting in and out of bad situations, and had, at times, made certain situations worse rather then better, but Daniel had never thought it would warrant the attention of an actual _demon_. _If that really is what she's supposed to be._ Daniel thought silently to himself. After all, he faced off against aliens that declared themselves as divine beings on a day to day basis. That didn't actually make them gods, though.

Mara frowned, and Daniel caught a hint of uncertainty in her red eyes. "I'm here to grant this 'Jack' guy a wish." She said, breaking his gaze as she stared down at the carpet, her eyebrows furrowing together as she muttered, "though why it's him, I'll never know…" The last part came out as more of an after thought, one Daniel was sure he wasn't supposed to hear. As if sensing his gaze, her eyes snapped back to his face, narrowing slightly. "After all, he _did_ contact us, didn't he?"

Unconsciously, Daniel took a step back, his mind traveling back to the conversation he'd had with Jack. _You ever hear of something called the 'Devil Dealer's Hotline'?_ "Ah…"

Fortunately, Daniel was spared from answering the question in the form of Jack appearing behind the blonde 'demon', a scowl on his face. "You know what? I honestly don't remember seeing your number in the phone book. Maybe you got the wrong Jack?" The silver-haired man's words came out biting and cold, and Daniel saw Mara's eyes widen in surprise before she whirled around to face the Colonel.

"What?" Mara asked, her mouth parting slightly as she stared at the man who was supposed to be her client. He stared back, brown eyes hard as he took in her appearance. Then he flashed her a smile; a big, toothy grin that held little to no warmth, which was quickly replaced by a scowl once more.

"Ya' know, I really don't appreciate it when people I don't know think they have the right to come storming into my house like they own the place. I get that enough as it is when I'm on duty. I swear, you people are worse then those damned door-to-door salesmen that are always pestering me." Behind her, Daniel recognized the tone of The Colonel growing close to anger, and wisely took several steps away from the oblivious woman, a grimace on his face as he retreated from what was no doubt about to become a battlefield.

Mara, sadly, failed to recognize the warning signs for what they were, nor did she notice Daniel's retreating presence. Sadly, the demon could only blink at the man before her in confusion, wondering what the hell it was he was rambling on about and what that had to do with the current circumstances. "What are you-"

Jack lashed out, his expression dark as he launched a fist into her gut, effectively knocking the wind out of her and causing the fanged woman to kneel over in pain. "Carter! Teal'c!" Jack cried out, taking advantage of the woman's stunned state to knock Mara to the ground.

Daniel turned towards the kitchen as the sound of pounding footsteps became audible. From the hallway came Sam and Teal'c, the Major holding a decent coil of rope in her fist, Teal'c armed with a _hockey stick_, of all things. And just where had they found the time to raid Jack's stuff for those things? He hadn't even noticed them bolt past him.

Before Daniel was given the time to ponder such questions, there was a groan and a thump, and Daniel turned back to Jack and Mara just in time to see the older man sail into the recliner as though he were little more then a rag doll. The man let out a drawn out curse, struggling to right himself in the chair even as Mara picked herself up from the floor. She didn't look happy, he noticed.

A snarl on her face, she advanced on Jack, completely ignoring the other two combatants as she brought her complete and devote attention to her 'client'. "What the hell!?" She roared, red energy crackling at her finger tips. "I'm here to grant you a damned wish, not drag your soul to hell!"

Jack glared up at her, finally moving into a position that would allow for an easy evasive maneuver at the cost of his bum knee should Mara decide to send that red energy his way. "Well you could have fooled me!" He snarled, holding the demon's attention as both Carter and Teal'c advanced on her from behind. "And what the hell am I going to do with a wish from a demon?"

"How the hell would I know!?" Mara growled. "I'm only here to make a contract with you, not give you an in-depth guide on what to wish for!" Baring her teeth at him in an angry, almost animalistic snarl, she whirled around, discharging the energy from her hands and into the unlucky forms of Sam and Teal'c, the latter of which had the hockey stick raised to bring down upon the demon's head.

The two combatants were sent flying backwards, smashing into and over the couch and causing a yelp from Carter and a grunt from Teal'c. Daniel, who had already retreated to a safe distance away from the others, moved to his fallen comrades' sides. "Are you guys alright?" He hissed, carefully maneuvering Sam off of Teal'c from where she laid sprawled on top of the larger man's form.

The woman groaned, but none the less nodded, crawling off of the stationary Teal'c and leaning up against the back of the couch. "I'm fine. The only thing I hurt was my pride." She muttered, rubbing her forehead and retrieving the rope from where it had fallen at her side. Teal'c responded with another grunt, moving into a crouching position. "Indeed." He muttered, likewise retrieving his weapon but otherwise remaining behind the couch.

Mara and Jack, meanwhile, stared with almost identical faces of surprise at the space that had once held Sam and Teal'c. "What where they doing behind me?" The fanged woman asked aloud, her anger temporarily disappearing with her 'attack' on the Major and Jaffa.

Jack looked from the now-vacant space to the surprised Mara, his mouth opening and closing several times, a retort on the very tip of his tongue that fought for escape against an unusually sudden sense of self-preservation. _You mean to tell me that she didn't even_ know _Carter and Teal'c were behind her?_ He thought to himself, taking Mara's distracted moment to crawl out of the recliner and onto the floor.

"You mean to tell me that had been an _accident_?" Jack demanded, a flare of anger rising once more in his gut. The woman looked over at him, her expression sheepish. _Sheepish_. Of all the things Jack expected to see on the face of a being claiming to be a demon, sheepish was not one of them.

"Uh…yes?" Mara replied, as though she herself was unsure of the answer to Jack's question. "Oh for cryin' out loud…" Jack took a moment to stare at the woman. And stare. And stare. Mara cringed. This was getting ridiculous, and the Colonel was fairly sure he wasn't alone in that thought.

Behind the couch, Jack caught a glimpse of Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel peering at the two of them, their expressions ranging from respectably weary to down right _lost_. Not that he could blame them. This woman was becoming more then a bit of an anomaly, and he'd like nothing more then to find out her true intentions and get her the hell out of his house. The soldier had already decided on one thing. There was no way this Mara was a demon, even with the crazy magic trick of hers.

"This is getting ridiculous." Sam muttered, glaring at the woman who had knocked Teal'c and herself over the couch. She slid back down the backside of the couch, disappearing from view and looking over at Daniel and Teal'c. The archeologist looked over at her. "You're telling me." He ground out, taking a brief moment to message his temples. "One minute this 'Mara' is at Jack's throat, the next minute she turns into an embarrassed girl after throwing you and Teal'c into the couch. We need to do something about this before things _really_ get out of control."

Sam nodded in agreement, fingering the rope she still held tightly in one hand. "Well, she seems to have calmed down a little. I kind of want to see if we can get the jump on her now that she isn't trying to rip the Colonel apart." She said, her voice lowering to a soft whisper. "What do you think, Teal'c?" The major looked past Daniel and over to where Teal'c was.

"Teal'c?" '_Was'_ being the key word. The space that the Jaffa had once occupied was empty, and both Sam and Daniel turned to one another with matching alarmed expressions on their faces, before quickly turning and peering once more over the couch.

Sure enough, there was Teal'c, hockey stick in hand and rushing towards Mara, whose back was, once more, turned to him.

"When did he-"

"He's not going to-"

"Teal'c!"

"What are you all yelling abo-"

Mara turned, confused at the sudden chaos of voices and adding her own two cents worth to the mix. Sadly, the demon didn't even have the time to finish her question as the ex-first prime of Apophis brought the hockey stick down upon her head. With enough force to knock out a battle-hardened marine.

There was an almost sickening 'crack' of wood hitting bone, and a pause that seemed to stretch on for eternity as everyone in the room waited to see the result's of the Jaffa's action. The pupils of Mara's eyes dilated as she stared at Teal'c's chest, before slowly moving upwards to look the taller man in the eye. (Teal'c would later compare it to looking into the eyes of a _xan'thal_, a legendary creature on Abydos that was said to haunt the night and attack unwary men with an eerie howl and eyes that glowed an angry red in the darkness.) The woman's mouth parted in surprise, revealing her fangs, and for a second it seemed as though Teal'c's attack did not have the desired results. Then her eyes rolled up in the back of her skull, her eyes closed, and the demon known as Mara crumpled, unconscious, to the floor.

For several seconds, no one said a word, all eyes drawn to the fallen form on the carpet. It was Jack who broke the silence, as the man shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other before walking over and kneeling down at Mara's side. After taking a moment to examine the demon, the silver-haired colonel looked up at Teal'c. "Ah…good work, Teal'c. Looks like she'll be out for a while."

Teal'c nodded stiffly, lowering the hockey stick that had become a temporary weapon down into a more dormant-if still somewhat guarded-position at his side. Jack nodded. Better safe then sorry, after all. Taking charge once more, the man stood, the Soldier in him taking over as he looked over at Carter and Daniel.

"Carter, get over here. I want this woman bound up as tightly as possible." He barked, a small sliver of satisfaction running through him as his 2IC jumped to obey his command. "Daniel, get General Hammond on the line. I think he might want to know just what it is that happened here." The archeologist nodded, bolting out of the living room without so much as a word of argument.

Jack looked up at Teal'c. "If she so much as twitches before Carter is done with her, bash her brain in with the hockey stick." He turned off into the direction of the hallway. "As for me, I'm getting my gun. I'd rather be armed with something a little more affective then a hockey stick when this so-called 'demon' wakes up."

~*~

A/N: Well, this has to be a new record for me post-wise. Usually it takes me months to get the next chapter of a story up. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the new chapter. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have in regards to the fic. I'll be happy to answer them if I can.


	3. Ah! So many questions!

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Jack came back into the living room in a slightly better room, most likely due to the comforting weight of the holstered gun that now hung from his side. The living room was still a mess with it's various food, drinks, and papers scattered around the room, but at least the cause of the mess was now under control.

Said person was currently lying on the floor, lying on her stomach, her hands bound behind her back and her legs tied together in a likewise position. By the look of things, the woman was still unconscious, and a look over at Carter only confirmed his suspicions.

"She hasn't moved since we knocked her out, Sir." Carter said from position on the couch. The major sat with her hands folded in her lap, her posture hunched over slightly as she stared at the unconscious Mara. A broom was leaning propped up against her shoulder casually, most likely the one from the kitchen. She must have gone in search of a 'weapon' of her own after securely binding their unwanted guest.

Teal'c stood over the self-proclaimed demon, the hockey stick still in hand as he hovered silently above her, his eyes never leaving Mara's unconscious form. Sensing rather then seeing Jack's gaze, the large man nodded silently in agreement.

"Good, good." The brown-eyed man said, leaning up against one end of the couch with a tired sigh and letting his own gaze drift down to their prisoner. From the kitchen, Jack could make out the soft murmur of Daniel's voice, no doubt arguing with the person on the other end that yes, they did in fact need a platoon of marines down here for one lone woman.

A demon…what a load of crap. There was no way a real demon would loose to the hands of a bunch of 'mortals'. At least, not without said mortals being armed with bibles, priests, crosses and all that other junk. "So…any ideas as to what she really is?" Jack asked aloud, prodding the unconscious figure lightly with a foot. No response.

Daniel's voice faded from somewhere in the kitchen, emerging from the room a couple seconds later with a somewhat relieved look on his face. "General Hammond is sending a van full of marines down." He said, pushing his glasses further up against the bridge of his nose. "They should be here in about fifteen minutes."

Jack nodded lightly, glancing from Daniel back to Mara and back again. "So, how about you? What do you think she's supposed to be?" The younger man blinked before shrugging half-heartedly, stepping over the fallen woman and moving to sit down on the couch next to Jack. "You mean besides a demon?"

Jack sent him a look, and Daniel shrugged again. "Well, I'd like to say she's some new sort of Jaffa, but…" The brown-haired man trailed off, shifting his blue gaze to Teal'c.

Sensing his friend's gaze, the dark-skinned man looked up. "She is not Jaffa. Of this I can assure you." Teal'c rumbled. "No Jaffa wears an emblem of such a color, nor is the emblem familiar to me. There is also the fact that I feel no Naquadah radiating from her."

Sitting next to Daniel, Carter nodded her head in agreement. "It's true Sir. I was in direct contact with her when I was tying her up, and I didn't get so much as a twitch that might have been mistakable for Naquadah." The woman leaned back, relaxing somewhat now that she and Teal'c weren't the sole guards of the unconscious demon.

"Plus, you also need to take into consideration just how she got in here." She said. "Remember, this whole thing started with a CD. A _floating_ CD, no less." Sam shook her head. "I know this might be a bit much, but maybe, just _maybe_, she really is what she claims."

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to that thing?" Daniel asked, straightening in his seat as he recalled the object. There was a brief silence, and four pairs of eyes strayed to the center of the room where Mara had made her appearance. The CD was gone.

"Did Mara pick it up or something when she popped out of it?" Daniel asked, looking between Jack and Sam for help. He hadn't, after all, gotten a good look at just how the woman had appeared.

Jack nodded, his eyes drifting back to Mara, who still had so yet to even twitch from where she laid on the floor. Teal'c must have done quite a number on the woman. He almost felt bad for the headache she'd no doubt have upon awakening. Almost.

"Yeah, she picked it up when her feet touched the carpet. Looked like she stuffed it in some back pocket or something." Jack said, his gaze shifting from Mara and back to Daniel and Sam, the latter of which was shaking her head in disagreement. "Carter?"

The Major looked at him with a troubled frown. "Sir, I searched her when I was tying her up. Aside from the clothes on her back, Mara has nothing on her. No weapons, no form of I.D., no alien devices, and definitely no CD."

"You're joking." Carter shook her head, and a knot of unease began to form in Jack's stomach. "But…I saw her pick the CD up! I watched her close the CD case, and stuff it underneath that cape of hers. It has to be on her Carter. Things like that don't just vanish into thin air!"

"And people don't just randomly pop out of CD's, Jack." Daniel muttered. "What if Sam is right? Considering everything else we've faced, would it be that unbelievable?"

Jack scowled, glaring at first Daniel, then the fallen woman on the floor. "Alright then, Space Monkey." He pointed at Mara. "If she's a demon, the how the hell were we able to take her down so easily? Are there even any demons you know of _named_ Mara?"

It was Daniel's turn to scowl. "How would I know if she's actually a demon or not?" He snapped, the tell tale signs of the conversation dwindling into an argument obvious. "It's not like we've run into a person claiming to be one before." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And yes, there is one demon that has the name Mara." He brought a hand up to silence Jack even as the older man's mouth opened to comment. "_However_, that demon is supposed to be male, not female, and I'd have to do some research to find if there are any other such references to the name."

Jack sighed, the fight leaving him as he lightly kicked the side of the sofa. "Wonderful." He muttered. "And we can't get any answers until 'Sleeping Beauty' decides to wake up." The man moved away from the couch, crouching down besides Mara's still form, wincing slightly as his knee protested the action.

He placed a hand on one of her shoulders, lightly shaking the blonde demon. "Mara….Mara…time to wake up, Sleepy Head." Jack's voice was mockingly gentle, and on the couch, Daniel could only release an exaggerated sigh at the man's action. Beside him, Sam simply shook her head. Teal'c remained stoic, refusing to even raise an eyebrow at his leader's actions.

"Nothing. Huh. How hard did Teal'c hit you, anyways?" The woman offered no answer, and Jack moved to lightly slap her cheeks. _That_ seemed to snap the blonde demon back into the realms of consciousness, for as soon as his fingers grazed the two red triangles on her cheek, Mara's eyes flew open and focused on Jack with all the intensity of an angry bear.

Jack yelped in surprise, jumping lightly under the intensity of the woman's red eyes. She sneered at him, and Jack returned it with a scowl of his own. It seemed she hadn't been unconscious, as no one regained consciousness with such clear eyes. She should have been dazed, unsure of what had happened last, something along those lines. And Jack should know too. He and his team had plenty of experience in _that_ particular department.

At his yelp, both Teal'c and Carter moved to their temporary weapons, grabbing the broom and hockey stick and wearily waiting for an order to attack on Jack's call. The older man waved them back, and the two lowered their makeshift staffs, though both remained tense and at the ready.

Regaining his composure, Jack shifted into a sitting position, sitting cross-legged in front of Mara and causing the bound woman to strain her neck in order to glare him in the face. "Welcome back." He said merrily. "Been gone long? Need me to fill you in on what you missed?"

The woman scowled darkly, squirming against her bindings. "Can we just get this over with?" She muttered. "The sooner I grant your wish, the better. I'll be out of your damn house and life, and the two of us can be on our merry little way."

Jack 'hmmed' in thought, going so far as to rub his chin as though pondering Mara's words. "Yeah…that's not going to work. How about this: I ask you a question, and you answer it. Sound like a plan to you?"

The woman seemed to sag under his words, her head dropping to the carpeted floor as she sighed. She rolled onto her side, staring up at him with one red eye. "Fine. It's not like I can leave until you make the damned wish.

Something flickered in Jack's eyes, and he glanced up at the rest of his team, all of which who where eyeing the two of them with curiosity. Except Teal'c. But then again, he was _Teal'c_, after all. He turned back to Mara. "Alright then, since you keep bringing it up, let's start with this whole 'wish' thing. What, exactly, do you mean by granting my wish? I thought you said you where a demon, not some genie."

Mara sneered, baring her teeth at him. "Oh, come on. Do I look like something out of _I Dream of Genie?_"

Jack looked at her, at her facial markings, fangs, red eyes, and all together outfit. "Ya' know what? From this angle, yeah, you do."

The woman's red eyes darkened in anger, and she snarled something about his mother marrying a donkey. Quite rude, really. Jack ignored the insult, noticing that they where straying from their original subject. "How…interesting. And your mother was a Saint, I'm sure. Anyways, back on track. Just _who_ are you?"

The woman bristled at his insult, but none the less answered, seeming to put in the effort to give Jack a good view of her fangs with each word she spoke. "I already told you who I am. What are you, deaf?" She growled out, bearing her teeth at him. "Let me say it again. I am Mara, Demon first-class, Unlimited."

Jack frowned, sharing a look with the rest of his team before turning back to Mara. "Right…we'll come back to that later. So then, Mara, how'd you get in here, anyways? And what was with the little magic trick of yours back there?"

Mara gave him a look that clearly stated _you don't believe a word I'm saying,_ before speaking once more. "I got here through the Enka CD that you took your merry time opening. That 'magic trick', as you so fondly call it, was a backlash of my own magic being stored in such a small space for longer then necessary. Anything else, Master?" She smiled up a Jack, the smile hostile and almost _screaming_ for his blood.

From where he sat next to Sam, Daniel raised his hand slightly. "I have a question." Everyone in the room turned to look at him, and Daniel flinched slightly under Mara's red gaze. Those eyes just got creepy after a while. "Why did you need an Enka CD to appear in Jack's house? Couldn't you have used…I don't know, the television, or maybe a mirror or something? Why _Enka, _of all things? If it had to be a CD, wouldn't you have preferred something like rock or disco or something?"

The young man felt a shiver run down his spine as the look on Mara's face went to slightly irritated to angry with each question he asked. As his final question passed his lips, Daniel watched as the demon woman went stark white with-what was it, fear?-before quickly growing crimson with rage.

"I didn't need to come here via CD, if that's what you're asking." Her voice was calm, almost peaceful, and that, coupled with the dangerous expression on her face, made Daniel more then a little nervous. Apparently, it also unnerved Jack somewhat as well, as the man scooted several inches away from the demon.

"Since that incident with the Lord of Terror, no demons have needed any sort of catalyst to get to Earth. The only reason I used a CD, and an _Enka_ one at that, is simply a matter of insurance."

Daniel and the others blinked. Lord of Terror? Catalysts? What was she talking about? "Um…okay…insurance against _what_?" He asked, deciding it was probably better to return to such subjects later.

Mara scowled. "Against annoying goddesses who seem to live to make my job harder." She muttered darkly.

Interest flickered in Jack's eyes at the blonde woman's comment, and he leaned a little closer to the bound demon. "Oh? What was that? Now we're moving into the subject of Goa'ulds?" He asked, a smirk on his face. Goddesses. It finally looked like they were heading in the right direction.

Mara shifted her gaze to Jack, the anger that had previously been on her face evaporating into a blank stare. "Goa'uld?" She asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Hmm…maybe they weren't making as much progress as he originally thought… "You know, Goa'uld. Snake Heads, People with creepy glowy eyes. Not as creepy as yours, maybe, but still pretty damned creepy. Go around claiming to be 'gods' and such.

Recognition dawned in the woman's eyes, her mouth forming into an 'O' as she came to a realization on just what it was Jack was talking about. Huh, wrong again. Guess she did know what the Goa'uld were.

The woman blinked several times, and Jack somehow got the impression that she had realized more then what he'd originally been talking about. Something about that positively giddy smile that was slowly taking over Mara's face, and the way her shoulders were softly shaking, as though the demon was trying to suppress something.

Jack, naturally being the cautious person he was, glanced over to Carter and Teal'c wearily before moving just a _tad_ bit closer to the woman. "Hey…you alright there, Mara?"

As if Jack's words were some sort of trigger, the bound demon let loose a peal of laughter, startling everyone in the room. Not even noticing Jack's hand moving to his holster, or for that matter, Sam leaping up with the broom in hand and Teal'c shifting into a more guarded stance, Mara cackled madly, curling up into a ball on the floor.

"Okay…I think that our demon decided to throw out a few bolts on us…"Jack muttered, eyeing the demon with a small bit of trepidation and a great deal of curiosity. From where he sat next to her, he could make out a few muffled words, like 'Urd' and 'fitting'. He thought he even caught the word 'snake' in there too, though he wasn't quite sure.

As the demon's shoulders continued to quiver with laughter, Jack looked up at Daniel. "Hey Daniel, what's an 'Urd'?" The brown-haired young man tipped his head to the side in thought, before finally shrugging. "Got me. The name doesn't ring any bells."

"Ah, well. I'll figure it out later." Jack said, glancing back at Mara, who seemed to have regained her lost sanity and was now staring at him with a smirk on her face. "Did you have a nice laugh there, Sweetheart?"

She raised an amused eyebrow at him, and the man moved on. "Back to the matter at hand. What's up with this whole 'wish granting' thing you keep sprouting off about?"

Mara stared at him through half-lidded eyes, a small grin on her face that reminded Jack somewhat of a cat. One that was about to catch herself a canary, and knew it.

"_Finally_, we're moving on to the subject that really matters." She breathed, squirming in her binds and somehow maneuvering into a sitting position, kneeling on the floor with her bound feet folded up underneath her. Hm…Jack would have to see if he could get her to teach him how to do that. It certainly looked more comfortable then laying bound on the floor. Plus it had the added bonus of looking one's opponent in the eye without having to actually look up at them, as Mara was now doing with him.

"With how easily you managed to do that, I take it this isn't the first time you've been bound, am I right?" He couldn't help but ask her.

Mara grimaced, but nodded her head. "Sadly, for someone in my profession, this happens a lot more then I'd care to admit." She muttered, her eyes darkening for a second as some random memory popped into her head, before once again focusing on Jack. "But we're getting off subject again."

She couched, clearing her throat for what was no doubt supposed to be a rather long explanation. "Now, as I said previously, I am a demon with a first-class, unlimited license." She looked from him to Daniel and Sam, even tilting her head back slightly to get a glance of Teal'c, making sure she had all of their attention before continuing. "Now, I won't bore you with the details as to just what that means, so I'll make it short. As a demon, I have the power to grant wishes in the form of a contract. I appeared to O'Neil," she pointed her chin in Jack's direction. "Because for whatever reason, his profile was in Nidhogg's database."

Daniel straightened in his seat, his mouth opening, no doubt, to voice a question. Mara sent a glare his way before he even had a chance to speak. "Whatever it is, save it. You can ask me more questions later." The archeologist's mouth snapped shut with an audible 'click'.

She redirected her attention to Jack. _I wish I could shut him up that easily._ He thought briefly before bringing his full attention to her words once more.

"Now as I was saying, do to the fact that Jack O'Neil is in Nidhogg's database, that makes him eligible for a wish from a demon. As such, when he dialed up our office, I was assigned to come down and seal a contract with him."

Something in her eyes changed, and Jack knew the bound woman's next words were meant just for him. "Whatever you want, I can grant it. Money, power, the destruction of your enemies, anything. But you only get one wish. And I'm a demon, not a goddess. Whatever it is you wish for, something will have to be given in return."

Jack felt a shiver crawl down his spine at her words. Something in the way that she held herself, in the way she was looking at him. The woman, Mara, wasn't lying to him. He licked his lips. "Anything I want, huh?" He said, growing serious as he considered her words. Mara nodded her head, her expression as serious as his own.

"And what would I have to give up for this 'wish' of your?" He asked, rubbing his chin in thought and taking careful consideration of the woman's words. "Are we talking about major 'make a wish and cart your soul to hell' here?"

Mara shrugged her shoulders. "It depends on the wish. Usually, the greater the wish, the more that is demanded in compensation. However, if you are capable of fulfilling your half of the deal, then I'm just as capable of giving you what you want. As it is, the only person who has the authority to 'cart your soul off to hell', as you so fondly put it, is the Daimakaicho herself. And you hardly seem worth her time. So chances are your soul if safe."

_Daimakaicho?_ Jack shared a look with the rest of his team, before turning back to Mara once more. "So, the consequences are varied, eh?"

Another nod.

"And how do I know you're telling the truth in regards to the consequences?"

Mara scowled. "Don't be an idiot. If we repeatedly lied about what would happen to our clients prior to the formation of a contract, no one would bother to work with us. It isn't our fault that the client doesn't take into account just what will happen to them with their wish. All they ever do is think about they get from their wish. And it's from idiots like them that demons like us get such bad names."

Jack returned the scowl full force, crossing his arms over his chest disapprovingly. "And what if I simply don't make the wish?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

The demon growled. "Have you been paying attention to a word I've been saying? I've already told you that, until you've made your wish, I'm stuck here. Do you really want that?" She leaned in closer to Jack; a sneer on her face highlighted all the more by her fangs. "Not to mention, from a man in your profession, how long before you royally screw up and make a wish without realizing it? The ramifications of _that_ could be much worse then simply making a wish here and now."

Jack's expression darkened in anger, but the man refused to back away from the blonde demon. "And so you expect me to make a wish right here and now? Something that could seriously come back to bite me in the ass at a later time and date?" He brought his own face closer to the woman, until the two were so close to one another that the bangs one each one's heads were touching.

"Well, when you put it that way, then _yes_, yes I am forcing you to make that kind of a decision!" Mara snarled, for a second appearing as though she might attempt to take a bite out of Jack's nose. "So stop wasting my time and make that damned wish already!"

They were shouting now, both having lost their tempers to one another once more. It was making the others uneasy. "Uh…Jack…maybe you should calm down a little." Daniel hesitantly called out. The man in question turned and leveled his glare on the archeologist. The younger man winced, and Jack turned back to the glaring contest he was having with their prisoner. Sam looked over at her friend in concern.

He gave her a weak smile that did nothing to reassure her. "It's just that…considering the circumstances, he might let his temper get the better of him and do something stupid." Sam grimaced at the thought. "You're right." She muttered, turning back to the arguing duo with a worried frown. "But in his current state, do you think he'd even bother listening to us?"

Daniel's silence was more then enough of an answer for her.

"Make a wish!"

"I'll make it when I'm good and ready!"

"You're wasting my time!"

"Oh yes, because being a demon and all, you have _oh_ so much to do and all!"

"Says the moron who doesn't know what he wants!"

The argument had risen in volume, to the point where it seemed little more then a screaming match between two fighting children.

"You really aren't in a position to throw insults you know. What kind of a demon looses to a Jaffa with a hockey stick?"

"And you don't know a damn thing about me. Give me that hockey stick and I'll show you just how far I can shove it up that pompous ass of yours!"

Jack snarled at the woman. Mara was becoming a rightful pain in the ass for him, and it was getting to the point where he didn't even care about the reason she'd come to his place. He just wanted her gone.

"Fine! How about I ask for the most ridiculous thing I can think of!? Will that get you the hell out of my house?" He barked, trying with all his might to burn a hole into the demon's forehead with his eyes alone.

Mara bared her teeth at him, unfazed by his gaze. "Fine! Do that and I'll even take out the compensation half of the contract. Getting the hell away from you would be a dream come true at the moment!"

Daniel's eyes shifted uncomfortably between the two of them. "Uh…Jack?"

Two pairs of enraged eyes focused on him, and the young man flinched. They turned back to each other.

Jack scowled at his opponent. "You know what I want? I want you, Mara, demon first-class unlimited, to land on the most unfortunate SG team on Earth. I bet you wouldn't last through their first mission together. How about that?"

The woman across from him narrowed her eyes. "Fine! A bet this 'es-jee team of yours is seven times more tolerable then five minutes here with you! Contract made!"

The odd markings on her forehead and cheeks glowed for a brief moment before returning to their original coloring once more. Jack wasn't sure if he was surprised or not.

It was also around this time that the platoon of marines Daniel had convinced General Hammond to send to Jack's house decided to show up, bursting through the Colonel's front door with shouts and orders. Everyone's attention was drawn to the source of the noise, and despite herself, Mara grinned. She turned back to Jack. "Congratulations. You've made your wish. And it's time for this demon to fly."

The woman stood, the ropes that had entangled her form falling to the floor in overly large coils. There was now much more rope then he knew he'd had Carter fetch lying on the floor. "See you in Hell, Colonel Jack O'Neil!"

Jack swore violently, rising to his feet. "Grab her!" He roared, charging the demon, Teal'c coming at her from behind. The demon laughed. "Not this time you don't!" She shouted, disappearing into thin air.

Teal'c and Jack collided head on, just as the marines entered the living room, guns drawn and screaming orders. Mara's laughter echoed through the room as Jack shouted his own back to them, desperately trying to take control of a situation that, up until a second ago, had been completely under his control.

A/N: Dear gods I hate how the ending turned out. I feel like I got bored half way through the chapter and simply decided to wing it. Sorry for the crappy conversation between Jack and Mara everyone. The next chapter will be better, I promise.


	4. It Came True?

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

In the depths of space, a Ha'tak was slowly traveling through unclaimed territory. One might observe that it's pace was painfully slow, a snail's pace when compared to the true speed others of it's kind could travel at. The reason behind it's crawl through space could have been anything, though if one examined the ship carefully and took in the various cinder marks that covered it's outer hull, that person might chalk it up to the fact that the ship was damaged. Or, if one was an expert in Ha'tak designs, might recognize the ship as one of the much…older versions.

Whatever the reason, the ship appeared to go through various lengths to stay off the radar of any other nearby vessels. It was obvious that the Goa'uld in charge, whoever the false god was, did not want any trouble from any nearby sources.

However, someone, it seemed, had a rather different idea. A light descended upon the damaged space craft, and the outer hull was engulfed in electricity, having long ago lost any form of a force field. And just as quickly as the light appeared, the beam disappeared, the electrical bolts fading from the craft and leaving it, remarkably, unharmed.

Perhaps any damage done was simply unrecognizable from the various scars that already adorned the outside.

Inside the ship, the residents, few that there were, went about their business. No one seemed aware of the light that had briefly engulfed their ship. Not that it would have mattered either way if they had. For there was now a new resident on the Ha'tak, and nothing short of the destruction of the universe was going to avert her from her task at hand.

She traveled through the hallways silently, the only sound the intruder making being the _click click click_ of her high-heeled boots. They echoed throughout the various corridors, and, had she been anyone else, no doubt the noise would have warranted the attention of the few Jaffa who patrolled it.

However, the woman, if anything else, was nothing if not powerful. A simple desire to remain unnoticed by all but her targets left her unhindered by the armored men who guarded the insides of the battered mother ship. And, while it would have been entertaining to see the results of the Jaffa discovering her, she was, regretfully, a terribly busy woman. She didn't have time to play games. At least, not at that very moment.

A small squadron of armed Jaffa turned onto the corridor she was traveling down. An amused smile quirked onto her face as they approached, before making a _rather_ large berth around her. They then continued their patrol, not so much as a thought as to why they had traveled around her entering their minds.

Mortals were entertaining in that way. Even when they denied the supernatural, they instinctively reacted to it when found in its presence. No doubt the small guard had unconsciously sensed her, and had actively gone out of their way to avoid making physical contact with her.

And so it was that the silver-haired woman continued, unheeded, through the Ha'tak. The ship itself did indeed show signs of age, she observed. The golden hallways she passed through were not as glamorous as they no doubt could be; taking away from the feeling of awe that usually accompanied such a sight. There was also a strange lack of Jaffa. There had been the small guard she'd passed, but the woman knew from experience that she should have passed several platoons of Jaffa upon arriving. Another sign that whoever the head Goa'uld was, he or she was extremely lacking in power.

But that was alright, the woman reasoned. After all, it was why she was here. She came to a halt in front of the large door that would no doubt lead her to the owner of the ship. Violet eyes narrowed dangerously at the obstructive object, and the door was blown away with a small tendril of power.

Cries and shouts came from inside the room as the door crashed to the floor, and the woman sauntered inside, for all the appearance a queen in her domain. Several Jaffa were positioned inside, all armed with staff weapons, all pointed at her. They stood guard in front of three women, all of which varied in age and appearance.

The oldest of the trio rose from where she sat, a woman in her late thirties or perhaps early forties with hair such a dark shade of brown it could easily be mistaken for black upon first appearance. Her blue eyes flashed golden for a brief second, and with the wave of a silk covered arm, the Goa'uld shouted a command.

As her echoing voice reached their ears, the Jaffa fired upon the intruder, who didn't so much as flinch as the energy emitted from the weapons came at her. The Jaffa released several rounds, and a fine dust rose from the particles that had been vaporized around the intruder. The Goa'uld raised a hand. The firing ceased, and for several seconds, there was silence.

Slowly, the dust cleared, and the Goa'uld's eyes widened as she caught the silhouette of the intruder. The stranger flicked a wrist. The Jaffa, her First Prime included, fell to the floor, and for the life of her, the Goa'uld was unsure if they were dead or merely unconscious. The false goddess turned her attention back to the intruder, sensing her sisters moving to follow her example behind her.

The dust had settled now, and the Goa'uld took the moment to observe the intruder. The woman's skin was a dark bronze, her hair unnaturally white for someone who looked to be in her late twenties. Violet eyes observed the trio of woman, holding a glimmer of amusement, as though the universe as a whole was little more then a big joke to her. A six-pointed star adorned her forehead, a similar, five pointed star of the same shade of red under each eye. Her outfit consisted of a dress so outrageous, even the Goa'uld and her sisters would hesitate to be caught in it. An almost fearsome aura radiated from her.

If the intruder was Jaffa, the Goa'uld reasoned, then she'd freely surrender herself to interrogation by To'kra.

The woman focused on her and smiled. The Goa'uld could almost hear the terrified screams of her host. There was something otherworldly in that smile, in those eyes, something that spoke of monsters in the dark and predators descending upon the hapless backs of prey. The Goa'uld flinched, but none the less held to strange woman's gaze.

"Who are you?" Her youngest sister was the one who broke the silence. Her host, little more then a girl-child entering the first stages of adulthood, was the tallest of the three, with dirty blonde hair that fell to the small of her back and hazel eyes that flashed an angry gold as she glared at the intruder.

The stranger's smile was almost cheerful as she redirected her gaze to the youngest sibling, moving towards the trio of false gods with little to no attention as to where she stepped. Several Jaffa would later awaken with various broken bones, some limbs mangled so badly that even with the technology they had, there was nothing short of amputation that could be done to save them.

The woman paused just short of the first step leading up to the throne the trio resided upon, her eyes glittering in the artificial lighting of the room. "Who am I?" She asked, repeating the hazel eyed Goa'uld's question. "I am but a woman looking to make a deal." Her eyes traveled from one sibling to the next, those violet eyes piercing into them and seeming to stare straight at the _snake_ rather then the host it held captive.

It was the middle sister who spoke next, taking several steps in front of the other two as though to protect them from some hidden intention on the stranger's intent. It seemed to amuse the white-haired woman to no end. "And what sort of deal would that be? What would one such as you, who bears the markings of a slave, have to offer that we, gods, do not already possess?"

The stranger's laughter was both harsh and beautiful, tearing through the ears of all present and leaving them with a feeling of stunned shock that came when one was struck by the beam of a zat'n'ktel. "Gods?" She asked, approaching the Goa'uld in an almost feline manner. "My Dear, I have seen 'gods'. And considering the horrendous state of this ship, I wouldn't go so far as to even call you three minor demi-gods, let alone full fledged beings of power."

Had it not been for the intimidating aura permeating from the intruder, the middle sister would have bristled at the insult. Instead, as the silver haired woman drew closer, the young woman backed away, trying to keep some sort of distance from herself and the stranger. "However, as it turns out, your dwindling power is the exact reason I'm here."

The woman disappeared from sight, startling a gasp from the middle sibling. "Does she possess Asgard technology?" She cried, her brown eyes wide in alarm as she whirled around to face her siblings. The woman froze, her eyes falling on the oldest, and the dark haired Goa'uld didn't need to question why it was her younger sibling was staring at her in fear. Nor did she need to look to the youngest of the trio. She was sure the girl-child that was host was wearing a matching expression of horror.

Brown hands bedecked with various rings came to rest on her shoulders. A shiver ran down her spine. "I can give you what you want." The voice came from behind her; low, soft, filled with desires and temptations that haunted the dreams of men at night. "Fame, fortune, power, you name it." The Goa'uld tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, her wide, blue eyes meeting haunting violet.

A pair of arms decorated in an unfamiliar fabric moved to wrap around her torso in an embrace. The Goa'uld's breathing increased. "And all I ask is for a little something in return." Her heart was thundering in her ears. Was this what it was like for a rabbit to look into the eyes of a jackal?

"And what would that be?" She was almost afraid to ask. But was she not a god, despite this woman's claims? What could the stranger, whose name she didn't even know, ask of the three of them that they could not give?

The woman's chuckle was soft and deep, reverberating in her ears a smile with a hidden meaning appearing on her face. "It's simple." She said, those odd, violet eyes of hers sparkling dangerously. "I want you and your sisters to change your names."

~*~

Colonel Jack O'Neil was not in a good mood. Storming down the hallways of the SGC, the man was lost in his thoughts, recalling the events of last night that had lead the colonel to his ripe mood.

The platoon of marines General Hammond had sent down at Daniel's request had been rather confused when they found Jack's house empty of the resident SG-1 had 'captured'. The man leading the soldiers, one Colonel Ken Thomson, had then gotten into a screaming match with Jack over him and his men being dragged down to Jack's place for no reason. Jack's response had been something about a bunch of incompetent men who didn't know how to move their asses during a state of emergency, and it was only through the actions of everyone present that the two hadn't moved to exchange blows.

Then, of course, came the call from the General, in which he'd had to explain what, exactly, had happened. His ears were still ringing from _that_ phone call. General Hammond had been rather upset that he'd let this Mara person get away, and had decided that, since she'd first appeared there, there was a chance that she might return to Jack's house. Which meant that now, Jack's house was currently under the surveillance of the same man Jack had almost gotten into a fist fight with earlier that evening.

Ah, yes. Did the ironies ever cease?

Turning back to the present, Jack had already snapped at several lower ranking officers, biting the heads off of innocent men and woman who were guilty of nothing more then being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The poor soldiers had run off as though a pack of rabid Jaffa were on their tail, but one good thing had come from it. News tended to spread quickly through the grapevine at the SGC, and the soldiers had quickly warned any and all present that Jack was on the warpath.

Heading to Daniel's office, Jack hadn't caught sight of another officer since that poor Lieutenant who had simply been trying to pass him in the hall. Perhaps a trip to the Space Monkey's lab could help sooth his temper. As he entered his friend's room without so much as a knock, various SGC personnel peaked over at the colonel from around the corner. They could only hope.

Daniel looked up from the various text books scattered over his table as Jack entered the room. The scowl on the older man's face was all Daniel needed to see before the vision impaired man sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and went back to his books. Jack was in a bad mood again. Wonderful.

Having a small idea as to what, exactly, had caused Jack's mood, Daniel held his silence, allowing the other man to start the conversation.

"I can't believe she just up and disappeared like that." Jack growled, glaring at one of the various artifacts that aligned Daniel's shelf as though trying to pin the blame on it. "And just when those damned marines got there too. What the hell was up with their timing?"

Daniel nodded and 'hmmed' in agreement. Jack needed to vent, and so long as he didn't break any of his stuff, Daniel could easily tune out Jack's words while still seeming to follow along with the man's conversation.

"And Thomson, that son of a bitch…" Jack angrily crossed his hands over his chest, before shoving them in his pockets, as though unsure as of what to do with the limbs. He looked over at Daniel, who, upon writing something down in a journal, looked up at his friend.

"Well, if it's any consolidation, we haven't seen hide nor hair of Mara since she disappeared. Hopefully that means she's gone for good, or whatever that whole 'contract' fiasco was about, it was all a ruse." Daniel said, taking a moment to take off his glasses and clean them against his shirt. Putting them on once more, he found he didn't like the expression on Jack's face. The man hardly looked convinced.

"Anyways, how about we get some breakfast?" The brown-haired man asked, deciding it was probably best to switch subjects before he said something that riled the silver-haired colonel up any more then he already was. "Sam and Teal'c might already be there, and I can tell you guy what I found on the name 'Mara'. I've been doing nothing but research on the subject since I got home last night."

Jack paused, frowning slightly at the mention of Mara, before shrugging and nodding his head. "Sure, why the hell not? I could use some grub."

Releasing a mental sigh of relief, Daniel stood from where he sat behind his desk, folding various books and grabbing several journals before turning and following Jack out of the room. As the door closed behind him, Daniel glanced over at his companion. "By the way…" He said, his voice tinted with a certain hesitant curiosity. "What was with that wish of yours, anyways?" He asked, keeping a close eye on Jack's face for any signs that he'd crossed some hidden line.

Jack grunted, his face hardening for a brief second before he responded. "Hell if I know." He grumbled. "That so called 'demon' got me so wound up I guess I wasn't thinking clearly. Guess I just sort of spouted the first thing that popped into my head."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And the first thing that popped into your head was her on an SG team?" He asked, clearly in disbelief of Jack's excuse.

Jack sent a glare that would have killed him ten times over if it was within his capability. Daniel raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay, drop the subject, got it."

The two continued down the corridors in an uneasy silence, one that stayed with them in the elevator and didn't disappear until they entered the cafeteria.

As the archeologist had predicted, Sam and Teal'c were, indeed, already in the cafeteria. The two sat at their usual table, Sam with a cup of coffee at her side, steam slowly rising from the top, and Teal'c sitting across from her, a plate of scrambled eggs-or something that looked close to it-steadily being consumed by the larger man. As Jack moved into line to grab his own food, Daniel quickly made his way over to the other half of his team, his own coffee in hand as he moved to sit next to Teal'c.

Sam smiled somewhat tiredly at him in greetings while Teal'c nodded his head respectfully before turning, once more, to his breakfast. Daniel placed his journals down with a sigh, before returning his own greetings to the duo. Sam looked at the notebooks questioningly, but otherwise didn't comment on them, instead asking, "So, how bad's the colonel?"

Daniel grimaced, glancing over to where the man in question stood in line before turning back to Sam. "He's still upset about what happened last night, but hopefully the mood won't last through breakfast." He watched as Sam stifled a moan, recalling that unlike him, Sam had been ordered to stay behind at Jack's place in order to help install security cameras and go over various other electrical equipment. She probably hadn't gotten home until early morning, and had more then likely only gotten a few hours of sleep.

Speaking of which, here came the object of Sam's exhaustion now. Jack placed his tray down next to Sam, sitting down and plunging his spoon into his bowl of fruit loops. After taking a few bites of the sugary cereal, the man pointed his spoon at the various journals and notebooks that lay sprawled out in front of Daniel. "So, I take it you found one or two things on Mara then?" He asked, taking another bite of his breakfast as Daniel nodded his head.

"It would seem the name 'Mara' is more popular then I'd expected." Daniel said, grabbing one notebook and flipping it open to a dog eared page. "When she first told us her name, the first thing that came to me was a Buddhist demon that shared the name. However, due to the fact that _that_ demon is supposed to be male in origin, I'm pretty sure they aren't the same person.

Then I remember hearing her mention something about 'Nidhogg', which, in Norse mythology, is a great dragon who rests under Yggdrasil, the tree of life, and continuously gnaws on the third root and-"

Jack snapped his fingers in front of Daniel's face, causing blue eyes to blink in question. He looked over at Jack. "Focus Daniel."

A tinge of a blush lined the younger man's cheeks. "Ah…right, sorry about that." He grumbled. "Anyways, I did some digging for a 'Mara' in Norse mythology and came up with-"

Once again, the archeologist was interrupted, this time by the intercom rather then Jack. _SG-1, please report to the briefing room. I repeat, SG-1, please report to the briefing room._

The team looked between one another, questions and confusion in their gaze as various thoughts of what they were needed for flew through their mind.

"Are we scheduled for any missions today?"

"I don't think so…"

"Perhaps it is in relation to the events of last night?"

"Ah crap, I hope not. I already got an earful from the General over the phone last night. I don't need to hear it again in person."

As one, the team moved to their feet, gathering trays, journals, and coffee cups and making their way out of the cafeteria.

General Hammond was waiting for them when the team arrived. He stood silently in front of his chair, though he motioned for the others to sit. The team did as instructed, shared glances going from one person to the next as they sought out the reason behind their summoning.

When all were seated, the General spoke. "I'm sorry to have called you all in here on such short notice." He said, earning a curious stare or two from those present. "However, due to recent circumstances, we've suddenly found ourselves with several new greenhorns to the SGC, all of which need to be assigned to an SG team."

He eyed them, taking into account the sudden look of dread that seemed to pass through his most prized team's faces, and finding himself sympathizing. The news he had to give wasn't the best, sadly.

Jack, meanwhile, was sitting stiffly, recalling his words from last night. _No. Just…No. There is no way in Hell that wish came true._ He looked at his team. Daniel had paled a shade or two, and was looking at the General with wide, blue eyes. Carter's expression was much as he imagined his own: stiff and alert, waiting for the rest of the news to make a headway. Teal'c, was, of course, unreadable, though Jack thought the raised eyebrow was raised just a _pinch_ higher then usual.

"Sir, please don't tell me…" Jack didn't even bother to finish his sentence. The look on Hammond's face said it all.

"I'm afraid so, Colonel O'Neil." The older man reached over on the table, pressing down on the intercom and speaking into it. "Send her in." He ordered.

"Send _who_ in, Sir?" Carter asked. Were her knuckles white from where they were folded in front of her? He couldn't tell.

The door opened, and the person in question entered. All eyes were drawn to the newest attendant, and Jack felt the color drain from his face. Her hair was pulled back behind her in a thick ponytail, and Jack could only wonder at how she'd gotten past the regulations with its length. Her eye color had changed as well. She was staring at him with almost _regretful_ mahogany eyes, and for a second, he was certain that they were the same crimson he'd first seen in his house before she looked away.

The tattoos had disappeared as well. Perhaps makeup? Another one of her magic tricks, maybe? Hell, for all he knew, the stupid marking might not have even been tattoos. There were no elongated canines either. She was dressed in the standard camouflage BDU's, her arms stiff at her side as she stared at SG-1 with a small frown of consternation. She looked about as happy to see them as Jack was to see her.

General Hammond cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him once more. "SG-1, do to recent events, you will be taking on another member in your team. This is Lt. Marla Jotun. Until further notice, she is to accompany you on all future missions."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, and was immediately silenced by the General's glare. "Colonel, after the events of last night, I don't want to hear a word of complaint from you. This is a temporary arrangement. Lt. Jotun will eventually be assigned to an SG team of her own, but for now she's inexperienced." Hammond moved to pin the glare on everyone else present, as though _daring_ them to disagree with his judgment.

The room was silent.

General Hammond nodded. "Very good. Now, I'd take this time to get acquainted with each other, as you all are going to be spending a great deal of time together from this point on. Dismissed."

Jack scowled as he stood from his chair, watching with disinterest as the others of his team did the same. However, most of his attention was on the newest addition to his team. "Marla. Cute." He muttered under his breath, making his way to the door and knowing that Carter and the others would be right behind him.

Marla hadn't moved from her position near the door, and as he passed her, he sent the woman a glare. "Let's go, Lieutenant. There are a few…_rules_ we need to go over before the General sends us on our first 'merry' trip together." He passed her, practically stomping out the door and into the hallway beyond, the others right on his heel.

General Hammond watched the original members of SG-1 file out, before resting a hand on Lt. Jotun's shoulder. She looked over at him in surprise. "Sir?"

The older man gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Colonel O'Neil isn't the easiest man to be around at first. Give him some time."

The woman blinked, before giving a somewhat hesitant nod. "Ah…yes Sir." Hammond gave her shoulder a pat. "Good, now move out before you loose track of the Colonel and the rest of SG-1. This place can be a maze for new recruits."

The woman nodded once more before rushing out of the room at a quick walk, turning down a corner and disappearing from sight. General Hammond shook his head. "Hopefully I haven't just doomed a poor greenhorn to death. Knowing SG-1's luck, their first mission together will somehow get captured by a Goa'uld or something similar." The man sighed. "Hell, the rumors surrounding SG-1 alone are probably enough to scare that poor girl to death. I'll just have to hope Jack goes easy on her."

~*~

Back with SG-1, the new Lieutenant had quickly caught up with the team, though it seemed only Teal'c was the one to notice. Having been the last one of the original members to leave to room, the large man had stayed alert for the woman's presence when it became clear to him that she was not following behind them. He raised an eyebrow at her in question. She grimaced. He returned his attention to the rather angry Colonel in front of him.

Sam and Daniel had been trying to sooth the man's raging temper since they'd left the conference room, with little to no luck on either's part. The various SGC personnel once more found the Colonel on the war path, though it quickly became obvious over whom it was he was raging against. As the group of people passed, the various soldiers and civilians who worked in the SGC could only shake their heads in dismay. A new recruit. And on the infamous SG-1, of all teams. Chances were she wouldn't last a week before getting killed, poor girl.

For her part, the various sympathetic looks and pitying smiles cast her way only seemed to confuse the woman in question.

Several minutes of walking down various corridors, an elevator ride, and more damned hallways later, and the group of five found themselves in Jack's office. As the door shut behind Lt. Marla Jotun, Jack wheeled around, facing the blonde woman with an expression that would have scared Anubis, given half the chance.

"And just what," the Colonel demanded, "the hell are you doing here?" He snarled, brown eyes sparkling with rage as he stared down at the woman. Behind him, Sam and Daniel looked at each other, sharing a look. It would be bad if someone from outside the room happened to over hear what Jack was screaming about. After all, when it came to the SGC, nothing was considered impossible.

For her part, the Lieutenant sneered, revealing canines that hadn't been _quite_ so long in the conference room. "What do you think? You made your wish. This is the result. I'm stuck with you for as long as this team is together." Mara growled out, standing her ground against Jack's temper. "And if it's any consolation, I wasn't exactly _planning_ on being thrown onto your team when you made that thrice-cursed damn wish of yours."

From behind Jack, Daniel spoke up. "So…you're saying Jack's wish came true?"

Lt. Marla-_Mara_ turned her gaze to him. He wasn't sure if he was surprised or not to notice that her eyes had returned to their natural shade of crimson. Her tattoos were appearing on her face as well. "Of _course_ that's what I'm saying. Why else would I be under a damned mountain with a mortal who can't take a hint?"

Daniel, ever unphased by the show of sarcasm, something he'd heard all too often from Jack himself, simply nodded his head. "Point taken."

Jack scowled at Mara's comment towards him. "Couldn't you just have…you know…canceled the contract or something? I'm not exactly a satisfied customer, and by the looks of things, I could say the same about you."

Mara's expression darkened. "Any other time, I'd say that the answer to that question is 'yes', as usually I make contracts at my own discretion. However, due to the fact that this is an assignment straight from Nidhogg itself, I don't have any leeway on the situation, meaning we're all stuck together until either the disbandment of SG-1 or some higher power comes and makes the contract null and void."

"And the chances of that happening are?"

"Slim to none."

Jack cursed, and by the various expressions on the faces of those present, he wasn't the only one who shared his opinion.

Daniel spoke up again. "When you say Nidhogg…are you talking about the Norse dragon said to reside underneath Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life?" His voice was hopeful and filled with curiosity, for all he voiced it with hesitation, as though the young man was unsure whether now was the time to be asking such questions.

Mara glared at him. "What are you again? An anthropologist?"

"Archeologist, actually."

The woman nodded. "I hate your type. You always ask too many questions."

Daniel frowned. "Does that mean you aren't going to answer me?"

"No, it means that you should ask me when I'm in a better mood and actually feel like telling you what the Infernal Realm is like."

Daniel's brows furrowed together in disappointment. "Oh." Then the young man blinked, and Mara could see the signs of another dreaded question appearing on his youthful features. "Then will you answer me this? How did you get your…markings to disappear like that? And your eyes and…fangs. Can you do that at will?"

Jack, who'd fallen into a brooding silence, threw his hands into the air and marched to his desk, grabbing the chair and falling into it. More questions. Just what he _didn't_ need at the moment. And by Daniel no less. They were going to be here for hours.

Mara, taking note on Jack's frustration, smirked lightly before moving to lean up against one of the metal walls, where she could get a good look on everyone present. Daniel was eyeing her in curiosity, Sam's face mirroring his expression more then a little bit. Teal'c was standing in front of the door, blocking any attempts at an escape-or an unwanted interruption.

The demon shrugged half-heartedly. "Disguising such traits is a simple spell any first-class demon can do. After all, it would do me no good to go walking around and be recognized for what I am by the wrong people. So long as I'm conscious of the act, the markings, teeth, and eyes will change on my command." She neglected to mention the fact that, should she be knocked out, or, for whatever reason, loose the small amount of concentration needed for that spell, the traits would reappear on her, exposing her for what she was.

Daniel folded his arms across his chest. "So you're saying that we won't have to worry about someone mistaking you for a Jaffa or some other alien while you're with us?"

She nodded.

The brown-haired man sighed. "Well, that's one thing we won't have to worry about, at least."

Sam spoke up next. "What about those abilities of yours? What all can you do?" The woman had a curious air to her, one that caused the demon to grimace.

As the demon opened her mouth to respond, however, she found herself interrupted. She and just about every one else present jumped as the blaring of klaxons reached their ears, sending four-fifths of SG-1 into an alert position.

Instinct and habit kicking in, Jack ran for the door, a curse on his lips as he followed Teal'c outside, Sam on his heals. Mara brought her hands to her ears, the sound all the more intense with the now open door. She looked over at Daniel, who, along with herself, was the only person left in the room.

"What the hell is going on!?" She cried out, finding she needed to raise her voice over the shriek of sirens.

"Sounds like an unscheduled activation on the stargate!" Daniel shouted back, wincing slightly over the noise and moving to the door. "Come on, we need to move!"

~*~

A/N: And so a new player enters the game. What could she have up her sleeve? Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, though once again I feel as though I tried to speed through it. Questions? Comments? Complaints? Feel free to tell me. Also, fun fact for those unfamiliar with Ah! My Goddess. It would seem the creators had a tough time coming up for a name for Mara. As it is, I know her by three name: Mara, Marla, and Marller. So take a guess as to where I came up with her 'mortal' name.


	5. Better Left Undisturbed

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Daniel and Marla arrived in the control room to find the rest of SG-1 already waiting with General Hammond and Sgt. Harriman. Through the window overlooking the gateroom, the duo could already see soldiers filing in, moving into position across from the stargate with weapons drawn and waiting. As SG-1 stared on with interest, Hammond turned to Walter. "Close the Iris." He ordered, watching as the man turned back to the controls, intent on following his commander's orders.

As the circular metal moved to cover the activating stargate, Walter spoke up once more, causing those present to turn their attention towards the Sergeant. "Sir, receiving Sg-3's IDC."

The original member's of SG-1 shared a look with one another before looking over to Hammond. "But Sir, SG-3 isn't due for another two days, am I right?" Jack asked, frowning as he looked from General Hammond and back to the gateroom. His attention drawn to the stargate, the silver haired colonel didn't notice the General's nod of confirmation.

A small frown of his own marring his face, General Hammond looked over at Walter. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Open the Iris." His eyes turning to gaze once more out the control room, to where the Iris in question was slowly revolving outwards, unbarring the way of the now-active stargate.

The event horizon now free of the obstructive metal, it wasn't long before the blasts of staff weapons started pouring through the gate, the energy assaulting walls, floors, and one or two soldiers who weren't fast enough in moving out of the energy blasts way. From the control room, Mara leaned forward in interest, having never witnessed such an event, while those around her stared on in silent tension.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was, in reality, little more then a few seconds, SG-3 ran through the 'gate, Bra'tac on their heels and firing his own staff through the gate behind them. One of them men was injured, most likely from a staff blast, and was hanging off of two of his team mates, his head bowed and a grimace of pain on his face.

Colonel Reynards, the current leader of Sg-3, paused from his place in front of the group, waiting for the rest of his team to pass him before joining Bra'tac and firing a round of bullets through the gate. "Shut down the Gate!" The man snarled, before turning back and launching another torrent of bullets through the gate.

Walter quickly did as he was ordered, and as the event horizon vanished, Hammond moved to the intercom, pressing the button next to it and speaking into it. "Get me a medical team in the gateroom immediately!" He shouted, even as the soldiers who had been originally posted in the room moved to lend their assistance to SG-3.

Mara watched the entire scene with interest, a small, almost excited grin tugging at a corner of her mouth. Diverting her gaze as a somewhat short red-head dressed in a doctor's uniform rushed in with gurney and several nurses at her back, the demon looked over to the closest member of SG-1-Daniel, and asked, "Is it always like this?"

The blue-eyed man turned his attention away from Dr. Frasier and the others, regarding Mara with a frown. The new 'Lieutenant' almost sounded excited. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, the man nodded. "Unfortunately…this happens more then we'd like to admit." He muttered, shifting his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

The woman nodded, her eyes alight as she turned back to look out the gateroom. Already, soldiers were filing out of the room, SG-3 no doubt heading to the infirmary with their fallen comrade, who had been the first to disappear from the room. Before Colonel Reynards left the room, Hammond spoke once more through the intercom. "Colonel Reynards, I want you and the rest of your uninjured teammate in the briefing room in two hours."

The man in question turned to look through the window separating the control room from the gateroom, nodding his head in affirmative before joining the rest of his team and exiting the room. By now, the klaxons had been shut off, and with the inactive gate, the room was quiet.

Hammond turned his attention away from the now empty room, Bra'tac no doubt heading towards the briefing room even as he looked over at SG-1. He looked over his team, taking in Jack's somewhat concerned frown to the foreboding look on Daniel's face to the curious expression on Marla's face. "The same goes for you, SG-1. Do what you will until then, but I want you in the briefing room with SG-3 two hours from now. Dismissed."

Without waiting for a reply from any one of the team members, the General turned and moving to exit the room. He almost missed Lt. Jotun opening her mouth as though to question, just why, exactly, _they_ had to report to the briefing room with SG-3 instead of some other team. He didn't miss Colonel O'Neil jabbing an elbow into her side with a glare, affectively silencing the woman from asking anything stupid. However, as General Hammond left the room, he _did_ miss the snarl that appeared on Marla's face as she glared over at the man that was her leader.

~*~

Two hours later found SG-3 minus one member walking into the briefing room. Their injured team mate, a Lt. Penhall, was currently resting in the infirmary from a staff blast to his right thigh. The wound wasn't as serious as it looked, but the chances of him returning to anything but paperwork for the next two or three months was slim to none. His team mates had laughingly joked that at least he wasn't going to get shot off by a bunch of angry Jaffa, cheering the wounded marine somewhat before Dr. Frasier had chased the unharmed marines out of the infirmary, threatening them with needles and various other medical supplies if they didn't leave her newest patient alone.

Needless to say, it didn't take long to chase them out.

As Colonel Reynards lead the way into the briefing room, he and his team were greeted with the sight of an already present SG-1, as well as General Hammond, who was quietly discussing something with Bra'tac, who, every now and then, would send an unreadable look towards the blonde woman Reynolds recognized from the control room. What was she doing here?

As the team entered the room and made their way to the various empty seats located around the table, Hammond stood from where he sat next to Bra'tac and moved to the head of the table, nodding to Reynolds in greetings. "Colonel Reynards, I trust Lt. Penhall is alright?"

The man nodded, taking a seat next to Colonel O'Neil, who for some reason, was scowling at the blonde woman-Lt. Jotun? Strange, the name didn't ring a bell, and SG-3 was always in need of new members. He'd taken it upon himself to constantly check the listings for new recruits. He couldn't recall seeing a Lt. Jotun anywhere.

Which was a shame too. She was kind of cute, now that the marine got a good look at her. SG-1 had all the luck.

Turning his attention back to the present, the marine nodded. "Yes Sir. Just an ugly wound from a lucky staff weapon. Give him a few months, and he'll be back up and begging to go through the 'gate."

Hammond nodded in approval, and after a moment's hesitation, Reynolds spoke up again. "Also Sir, if you don't mind me asking, but who's the New Kid?" He asked, jutting his chin out towards the blonde Lieutenant, who gazed at him with eyes of an odd shade of brown. Caught at the right angle and under the right light, they almost looked red. Creepy.

Beside him, Jack's scowl deepened, and the Colonel answered his question for the General. "Lt. Marla Jotun. _Somehow_ she got stuck on my team." He sent a glare towards the lieutenant as he spoke, causing the woman in question to sigh dramatically. From the corner of his eye, Reynolds also took note of Dr. Jackson shaking his head in disapproval, and Major Carter bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose with a grimace. Was he missing something here?

General Hammond cleared his throat, regaining the attention of those in the room and sending a meaningful glance Jack's way. SG-1 and himself had spent the past two hours trying to explain why it was the team was getting a new member to Bra'tac, something he'd found was easier said then done. The old Jaffa simply did not see a reason for Lt. Jotun to be on SG-1, despite what Hammond had said. It didn't help that Jack had sided with the old alien, either.

In fact, he'd just convinced Bra'tac that Lt. Marla needed the experience when SG-3 had walked into the room, and General Hammond would be damned before he let anything Colonel O'Neil said leave the entire group stuck their for another two hours of arguments and debates over a single Lieutenant.

As it was, Jack's behavior had been baffling enough over the past few days. For the life of him, Hammond just couldn't figure out what it was about Lt. Marla Jotun that seemed to put the colonel on edge.

Whatever it was, though, it would have to wait. There were other things to attend to that were more important then a colonel's attitude towards a greenhorn Lieutenant.

"Moving on." The general ordered, using a tone that screamed no more questions without dire punishments. "As all of you know, Bra'tac has been hearing rumors of a new group of Goa'uld slowly rising to power. Recently, he's come across a planet that might actually lead to some information on these new Goa'uld, and whether or not they should be considered a threat." The man nodded to Bra'tac, and the old Jaffa moved to stand, taking over the conversation.

"It is true. A small group of Free Jaffa came through the Chappa'ai bearing the news. They claimed to have been assaulted by unknown Jaffa on a new planet they were visiting, and were lucky enough to return with what few injuries they gained. It was decided that the Tau'ri should learn of this, and that we should ask for your assistance in gaining more information on the unknown Goa'uld."

Unfortunately for the Jaffa, Sg-1 had already been sent off world when Bra'tac had come calling. In fact, it had been the very same planet where Jack had had his…experience with the local vines. So rather then SG-1 joining Bra'tac for a wonderful trip to Jaffaville, it had, instead been the unlucky SG-3.

Bra'tac sat, motioning to Reynolds and allowing the man to take over the story. The colonel stood, and all eyes turned to regard him as he began to speak. "Well, we joined up with Bra'tac at the Alpha Site, and from there Bra'tac dialed to the planet he'd been talking about. Things had been going pretty well around then. No Jaffa in sight, and the natives we ran into didn't seem exactly hostile." The man shrugged. "But then someone seemed to take a little too much interest in us, and the next thing we knew, there were a bunch of Jaffa on our tails. We fought back, but we were severely outnumbered, and Penhall had taken the time to get himself shot." A shake of the head. "So we retreated back through the 'gate, and the rest you know."

The colonel sat down once more, gazing at General Hammond for further instruction. Those present did likewise, and the General sighed, his eyes distant with thought as he contemplated on the next course of action. After a minute or two, the man nodded, a plan forming in his mind. "Very well." He said. "SG-3, do to Lieutenant Penhall's injury, you will be on inactive duty until further notice." The bald man ignored the soft groans and discontent mutterings around him.

"SG-1, you will be taking SG-3's place. If Bra'tac allows it, I want him to return to the planet with you at his side. I want as much information about this Goa'uld as possible."

He watched as his flagship team shared uneasy glances with one another, all of which were eventually diverted to Lt. Jotun. They must be apprehensive about taking someone so inexperienced with them on a mission of such importance. And, when the general stopped to think about it, it was rather dangerous for a first mission. But then again, it was probably better this way. If the Lieutenant came back alive, nothing would faze her from that point onwards. It'd be a good experience. He hoped.

"You'll depart in three hours. Dismissed."

~*~

"Are you _sure_ you know how to use that thing?" Mara turned to glare at Jack.

The duo, along with the rest of SG-1 and Bra'tac, stood in the gateroom, patiently waiting for their scheduled departure and going over their equipment one last time, checking buckles and straps and making sure everything was fit tightly and snug. Extra attention was paid to Mara, especially when it became apparent that the various straps on her vests were doing nothing but confusing the demon. Jack had even gone so far as to make a snide comment about how Daniel had had less trouble on their first mission through the 'gate.

Mara had been about to make a retort of her own, but an elbow jab from Sam reminded Mara that she _was_ in a top secret military base underneath a mountain disguised as a Lieutenant. It would do no good if anyone outside of SG-1, such as Bra'tac or Sgt. Harriman, took notice of a Lieutenant talking back to her higher ups.

So instead she grit her teeth and put up with Jack's comments. Like right now.

"Yes _Sir_, I know it's a shock, but I do have some experience with guns." She ground out, shifting her grip on the P-90 uncomfortably. She neglected to mention that the last time she'd held a gun had been before Jack's grandfather's time, but that was besides the point.

The brown-eyed man sent her a look that clearly stated _I don't believe you,_ before turning back to 'gate, slipping on a pair of sunglasses and pulling down on the brim of his hat. She stuck her tongue out at him as he turned away, earning a soft snicker from Daniel, who stood at her side.

"Don't mind Jack. He just doesn't like the idea of giving a civilian a gun, even if that civilian is a demon playing at being a Lieutenant." Of all the people composed of SG-1, Daniel had been the most open, easily taking Mara's nature in stride and offering a face that became friendlier each time she looked at him. The man was almost like that damned Morisato boy of Belldandy's. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hug him for his kind nature, or strangle him for his overly trusting personality.

So she settled on a middle ground. "Sure. That's why he isn't glaring at you every five seconds. Face it, you know he's more afraid of me going on a killing spree with the gun because I'm a demon then he is of me shooting myself in the foot because I'm, and I quote, 'A damned rookie who doesn't know shit outside of basic training.'" She muttered, casting a glare Jack's way once more before looking over at Daniel.

The brown haired man raised an amused eyebrow. "Well, you did have quite a bit of trouble suiting up. We'd still probably be waiting outside the locker room for you if Sam hadn't been there to help you. And with an incident like that, I think Jack's concern is at least _somewhat_ justified." He smirked as Mara scowled, in no way intimidated by the demon-turned-Lieutenant. He figured the absence of fangs was a major bonus on that account.

"Do I really look like I give a damned about his reasoning? Yes, I want to be here about as much as he wants me here at the moment, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go off and try and get us all killed." The blonde demon shifted her gaze down to her gun. "Besides it's not like I even need one of these things. My own abilities would work just as well as any bullet, you know."

"Well then, at the very least, keep it on you for appearances sake." Daniel and Mara turned to look at Sam, who had come up from behind them when they'd been talking. "And try and keep it down, will you? I don't think you want to be found out just as we're about to leave through the gate." The woman stated, a ring of authority in her stance as she sent a meaningful look towards Mara.

The demon frowned, but none the less complied, lowering her voice several octaves. "Yeah, yeah. And what am I supposed to call you, anyway? I get the fact that I'm supposed to call Jack 'Sir', but am I supposed to call you the same thing or something?" The fact that a Major outranked a Lieutenant was another thing that Jack had had to explain to Mara in their three hours of preparation. The demon hadn't seemed all that thrilled about having to obey yet _another_ person while in SG-1, but Carter hadn't seemed nearly as bad as Jack, and so the demon relented.

"Just Ma'am should do." The major responded distractedly, eyeing the various straps and buckles adorning Mara's outfit once more, as though the woman half-expected herself to have missed something, or that one of the straps would suddenly undo itself when her back was turned.

"Right." Mara shifted uncomfortably under the woman's blue-eyed gaze, diverting her attention to the stargate, which was slowly activating, listening as Walter shouted out the various chevrons locking into place. As the eighth chevron locked, Mara couldn't help but jump at the large vortex that came with the activated gate swooshed outward, only to be drawn back in on itself and leaving behind a portal that seemed to flow like water.

From where he stood in front of Daniel, Sam, and Mara, Jack looked behind him, smirking somewhat at Mara's startled face. It seemed that, just because she was a demon, didn't mean she'd seen it all.

"SG-1, you have a go." Hammond announced from his place in the control room.

Jack's smirk grew into a grin. "You heard the man, Kids. Time to go out and play."

Bra'tac moved to join him at the head of the group, and together the duo moved up the ramp and through the gate, Sam and Daniel following close behind and leaving Mara and Teal'c to bring up the rear. As Daniel stepped through the liquid like substance that comprised the wormhole, he sent an encouraging smile back towards Mara, and, startled, she found herself returning it, if somewhat less enthusiastically.

Then he, too, disappeared through the wormhole, and after a moment's hesitation, Mara stepped through as well.

The group of six emerged from the wormhole to find themselves staring up at a large canyon wall. The sky above them was a cloudless blue, and the area around them void of anything but rocks and boulders. From the stargate, a small, well used trail was seen, leading past the 'gate and towards a small, somewhat steep path that lead up the canyon wall and beyond.

"How nice." Jack commented, gaining a confused look from Carter and Daniel. The colonel waved an arm around him. "No trees."

Realization dawned in the two scientists eyes, and Daniel rolled his eyes as Carter snickered. Behind them, Mara looked between the three in confusion. "I don't get it."

Jack snorted. "Don't worry. You will eventually." He said, before looking over at Bra'tac, who stood somewhat impatiently at his side. "Master Bra'tac, if you'll be so kind as to lead the way?" He asked, sweeping his arm in the direction the trail lead in an overly dramatic fashion.

The Jaffa elder gave him an unimpressed look, grunting something unintelligible before taking lead and walking off.

"Let's go, Kids!" Jack called out behind him, chasing after Bra'tac and walking several steps behind the man. Sam and Daniel quickly followed suit, and, with a frown, Mara chased after them, leaving Teal'c to calmly bring up the rear, keeping alert for any signs of a hostile presence.

The air was comfortably warm, the sun having not yet reached the point at where the air would become swelteringly hot within the canyon. A good thing, considering how much SG-1 wore on their person and just how much some of the equipment they carried weighed. As the small group walked, a small cloud of dust was raised, the particles of dirt having been disturbed by their traversing. Over their heads, an alien bird crowed, its song foreign and harsh on the ears of those present.

As Jack began whistling a cheerful tune to pass the time, much to Bra'tac's silent annoyance, Daniel dropped back a couple of steps, moving to walk side-by side with Mara.

"So, where'd you come up with the name?" Daniel asked, casually looking over at Mara with inquiring blue-eyes. The woman looked over at him, eyebrows drawn together in question. "Hah?"

The brown haired man rolled his eyes. "Your name: Marla Jotun. Where'd you come up with it? The last name in particular has me curious."

The woman blinked mahogany eyes at him, before turning to look over at Jack and Bra'tac, the latter of which had acquired a somewhat stiff gait to his walk, no doubt gained through Jack's constant whistling. Daniel followed her gaze, before sending her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, so long as we keep our voices down, Bra'tac shouldn't notice us."

Something flickered in his gaze.

"Or, if you want, we can switch to another language. Something tells me English isn't your first language of choice."

Mahogany met blue, and for a brief moment, they flashed an angry red at him. He held his ground, keeping pace with her less the two of them arouse the suspicion of the others.

"Fine." She muttered softly, turning away to gaze at Sam's back. Daniel blinked, startled that the demon was actually willing to go along with his plan. But still…

"Japanese?" He asked, his own voice low despite the fact that the words were in another language.

The demon shrugged half-heartedly. "It's where I was stationed before I came to you guys. I'm more familiar with it more then any other language at the moment." She said unenthusiastically, something in her disposition screaming that she didn't want to elaborate on the subject.

The man nodded, allowing the subject to drop. Maybe when they were better acquainted with one another, he'd try again. "Alright. So, the name? Where'd you come up with it?"

It was almost funny the way her mood seemed to take a turn for the worse whenever he started asking Mara questions. A few minutes ago, she'd been a woman staring around her with rapt curiosity, almost peacefully minding her own business. Now she seemed more then a little reluctant to answer him.

The demon shrugged, moving a hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her eyes. "You wouldn't believe how many people mispronounce my name." She muttered. "So I figured I'd take advantage of one of the names that are constantly thrown back at me."

Daniel nodded his head, taking a moment to step over a rather large hole in the ground that screamed of broken ankles to anyone careless enough to get ensnared in it. "Alright. I'll take that as how you came up with your first name. But your last? A race of Norse giants?"

Mara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before casting a sullen glare towards Daniel. He responded with innocent baby-blue eyes, something that was probably one reason so many woman were drawn to him, as well as a tactic he'd used on Jack more then once when he wanted to look at one artifact for just a _little_ while longer. The woman looked away in disgust.

Well, that was a first.

Maybe a different approach… "You know, I came across a 'Mara' in my research around Norse mythology." He sent her a side long glance, taking note of how she seemed to straighten at his words. "Her name roughly translated into something along the lines of 'Sin-Mara', which is supposed to mean 'one who maims by doing violence to the hamstrings'." Was she avoiding his gaze? She was staring at Sam's back with enough force to bore holes in the woman's outfit.

Against his better judgment, the man continued on. Any information on just who 'Mara' was, even if she gave it indirectly, might allow him to get a grasp on just what type of person he was dealing with. "She was a guardian of sorts. She was supposed to guard a chest that contained a legendary weapon-the Laevatainn, if I recall correctly." Daniel said, raising a finger to his chin in thought, gazing up at the sky as he recalled the passage he'd read.

"Enough."

Daniel blinked, looking over at his companion with a puzzled frown. Mara was looking at him with fiery red eyes-it was not a trick of the light, whatever concentration she needed to keep her eyes that weird shade of mahogany had been lost-and a snarl was on her face, revealing canines that had grown to their natural elongated state once more. She was gripping her gun tightly, her knuckles white against the black of the gun. Her jaw was clenched tightly with thinly veiled anger, and Daniel could just start to make out the odd markings against her face.

She came to a halt, and Daniel paused as well, wondering if perhaps he'd overstepped some hidden boundary. Behind them, Teal'c came to a halt as well, having been listening to the duo's conversation but understanding none of it. He regarded them with a small frown as those ahead continued forward, yet to grow aware of the pause in half the group.

"Mara? You're…demon-" Before he could even blink, a fist wrapped itself around the collar of his shirt, and the archeologist found himself _lifted_ several inches off the ground. He caught Teal'c moving in to intervene, only to have the hand that landed on Mara's shoulder quickly retreat as several sparks lashed out and danced up the large man's arm.

The demon ignored the Jaffa, her full attention on Daniel. "Listen here, Little Man." She hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. "Do I look like a giant of any kind, be it Norse or something else entirely?" She brought her face close to his, and he could feel her breath on his cheeks. "Do I look like a person who goes out on a day to day basis with the express purpose of maiming others?" He was aware that Jack and the others had stopped, and he could hear Jack ordering Mara to put him down. "Do I look like someone who would spend all day and all night guarding a chest with a weapon inside?" She wasn't speaking in Japanese anymore. But she wasn't speaking English either. Hell, he wasn't sure what language the demon was speaking at the moment.

"N-no" Daniel ground out, a hand reaching out to wrap around the wrist that held him up. He wasn't sure what question he was answering, precisely, but whatever it was, it seemed to satisfy the demon. She released him, and Daniel fell to the ground with a pained grunt, landing somewhat awkwardly on his left ankle.

The woman towered over him, her features seemingly bathed in shadow as she glared down at him. Her facial markings were fading once more, and from behind her, Daniel could see Sam going over Teal'c's arm as Jack snarled orders at Mara, his weapon aimed at the woman's back, Bra'tac at his side with his staff weapon pointed in a similar manner.

"Good." She said, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around her. "Now remember this, Dr. Daniel Jackson." It was the first time Mara had called him by name, and Daniel wasn't sure if he approved of it. "There are some things in this world that are better left undisturbed. And I would…_appreciate_ it if you added 'prying into a demon's past' to that list."

And then suddenly the red-eyed demon was gone, and Daniel found himself staring up into the mahogany eyes of Lt. Marla Jotun once more. She turned away from him, and Daniel released the breath he hadn't known he was holding, slowly climbing to his feet and wincing ever-so-slightly as he put weight on his left ankle.

"…Not going to tell you again! Move away from Daniel before I turn you into bloody Swiss cheese!" Jack's words finally reached Daniels ears and the young man looked up, taking note of the two P-90's and two staff weapons aimed at Mara's form.

He looked over at Mara. She was frowning at the weapons, but otherwise seemed unconcerned, though he did notice that she was slowly putting distance between the two of him.

"Jack, it's okay!" Daniel shouted, raising a hand and motioning for Jack to lower his weapon. He saw Jack's eyes move from Mara to himself and back again, obviously disbelieving what the younger man was saying. "Jack, I'm serious! She isn't going to hurt anyone!"

Jack glared at him from over the sight of his weapon. "Daniel, in case you didn't notice, she had you dangling a foot off the ground! With _one_ hand! And she didn't look like she wanted to kiss you!" He snarled, sending another angry glare towards Mara before looking over at Daniel once more. "If she wasn't going to hurt you, then please, by all means tell me, what _was_ she going to do to you?"

Mara grumbled something unintelligible, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, looking more annoyed at having various weapons pointed at her rather then worried. Daniel ignored her.

"Jack, listen, just calm down. I said a few of the wrong things to her, that's all. It was a misunderstanding, alright?" Once again, he gestured for Jack to lower his weapon.

Jack eyed him for a moment longer, before his gaze flickered over to Mara. "Is that true?" He demanded. "Were you holding him a foot in the air because of some misunderstanding?"

The demon sighed, before reluctantly nodding her head. "Yes Sir." She even had the decency to sound almost ashamed, like a child being scolded by her father.

A moment of silence engulfed the area as Jack stared hard at Mara. The woman flinched, looking to the side and refusing to meet his eyes. After a tense minute, Jack lowered his weapon, those around him following suit. "Fine." He growled, his dark eyes glittering angrily behind tinted glasses. "But from now on, I want your ass up front where I can see it, understand _Lieutenant_?

The woman grimaced, biting back the inappropriate retort that threatened at the back of her throat, instead following the colonel's order's and moving up front. Behind her, Sam moved to Daniel's side, trying to get a better look at his injured ankle.

"You should be fine. I'd guess that you only twisted it a little. There aren't any signs of a sprain."

The woman stood from where she was kneeling, giving Daniel a reassuring, if somewhat troubled smile. In a lower voice, she asked, "And just what did you say to get her so riled up like that? She looked like she was going to kill you."

Daniel waved her off, resting his weight on his foot once more and grinning slightly when his ankle didn't give out on him. To Sam, he said, "I'm not sure. Probably several things. Apparently she's pretty private in regards to her past. I just couldn't take a hint and leave her be about it, though."

Sam nodded in understanding, and Jack came up behind her. "Daniel, how's the ankle?" He asked, staring with veiled concern at the archeologist.

Daniel smiled, taking several small steps. "I should be fine. It's isn't as serious as you're all making it out to be. We can head out whenever you're ready, Jack."

The older man nodded, watching as Daniel took several more steps before growing satisfied with what he saw. "Alright then, Kids. Time to head out once more!" He shouted, gaining Mara's attention from where she leaned against a boulder, arms crossed and her back to the team.

"Sir, you might want to think about that a little first."

Jack paused. "And why is that, Jotun?"

Bra'tac, who had taken it upon himself to act as something of a guard to the demon after the odd display of strength, looked past the demon and down the trail they were following. His expression darkened as he answered Jack's question. "O'Neil, it would appear that the Jaffa I warned you about have discovered our location."

Jack blinked in surprise, before cursing violently. "Are you kidding me!? When the hell did this happen?" The man ducked down behind a boulder, motioning for the others to follow suit.

Teal'c, who had already taken cover when he'd seen the expression on his old master's face, spoke up. "I believe it was around the time you took notice of Lt. Marla assaulting Daniel Jackson, O'Neil."

The silver haired man cursed. Of course. He'd been making enough noise to scare a herd of cattle into a stampede. How could a bunch of Jaffa not find them?

By now, all of them were located securely behind some sort of rock pile. At least, all but one person. Mara was still leaning up against her boulder, casually staring down the trail, no doubt following the progress of the unknown Jaffa.

"Lieutenant, what the hell are you doing? You're going to give away our position! Get your ass over here!"

The blonde demon looked over at Jack, a bittersweet smile on her face. "Don't bother." She said. "We're already surrounded."

"What!?"

The woman pointed upwards, and Jack followed her fingers, meeting the eyes of several angry Jaffa, staring down at them with energized staff weapons from atop several boulders.

"Jaffa, Kree!"

A shifting of gravel from behind him, and more Jaffa emerged from behind various rocks and boulders. Jack swore. Mara shrugged. The demon had been right.

They were surrounded.

~*~

A/N: Okay…Just to let you know, I have no idea where this chapter came from. Everything had been going as planned up to the point of Daniel deciding to chat with Mara. That little bit had been something I decided to throw in there to pass the time until the group arrived at the village. I swear, I had no intentions of turning a simple conversation like that into a potential battle hazard between SG-1 and Mara. Hell, I'm still baffled as to what came out of the conversation between Daniel and Mara.

But then again…this might actually work in favor, story wise. The next two or three chapters are some that I've been dieing to write since I decided to put my ideas onto paper, so I'm kind of excited.

Anyways, I hope that, even with the changes made to this chapter, you still found it somewhat enjoyable to read, though I feel like I'm going to get hounded with flames from the conversation. But yeah…you all should know the drill by now: questions, comments, complaints, feel free to let me know.


	6. Bombs Away!

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The canyon echoed with the sound of gunfire. Several species native to the area scattered at the noise, unfamiliar with the loud roar and perhaps thinking that some new sort of predator had entered the territory. Birds of an odd shade of tan and brown scattered into the air, screaming what would no doubt have been obscurities had such a thing been possible, while down on the ground, small reptiles and rodents disappeared into crevices in the various rocks around them, seeking shelter from the alien noise.

However, for a certain group of people, none of that mattered at the moment.

Jack ducked down behind the current boulder he was using for cover, just as three blasts from a staff weapon sailed through the space his head had been just a moment before. They impacted on the light stone behind him, leaving behind three dark soot stains that marred the rock's surface.

The colonel paid the markings no heed, dropping the spent cartridge from his gun and reaching into one of his many pockets and withdrawing a fresh one, thrusting it into his weapon of choice where it locked into place with a 'click'. Several more blasts impacted against his makeshift shelter, and the silver-haired man waited until the sound of staff fire faded before popping up once more from behind his rock and unleashing another wave of bullets.

Several rounds impacted against the dull armor of one of his opponents, and the man dropped to the ground, only to be replaced with another, equally angry Jaffa. Jack swore, ducking once more as the air was filled with staff blasts, an angry snarl on his face as he surveyed the rest of his team.

Daniel and Carter were positioned behind a large pile of boulders somewhere off to his right, no doubt having a similar exchange of staff fire and bullets as they sought to down the seemingly endless number of Jaffa that seemed to appear in front of them. Teal'c was ahead of him, positioned in a crevice that protected the large Jaffa on three sides, and completely blocked off any view of the large man from Jack. The only way the colonel could tell if Teal'c was still with them or not was the steady stream of staff blasts coming from the boulders.

And as for Mara…she was hunkered down behind several boulders, Bra'tac at her side and screaming orders into her ears as the demon fought to control her P-90. Whatever experience she'd had with guns in the past, it was obviously of little use now, as the woman fired trigger-happy into the surrounding area, striking more rocks and boulders then Jaffa. Although strangely enough, a great deal of said bullets _did_seem to ricochet off the surrounding landscape and strike more then one Jaffa where they least expected it.

Not that such shots were actually _killing_any of their opponents. As it was, Jack was of the mindset that had Bra'tac not grabbed the blonde demon and, quite literally, _dragged_ her sorry ass to cover, Mara would still be leaning up against her rock, simply staring off and more then likely getting herself shot rather then gaining a brain and following his orders to 'duck and cover'.

Bra'tac seemed rather displeased with having the demon as the one to rely on in their fight, and during a brief lull in the exchange of fire, the Jaffa took a moment's pause to turn and send Jack a rather heated glare, one the screamed _this is your fault_, before turning and yelling at Mara to 'hit the Jaffa, not the blasted rock next to him, Human!'

Funny. A Jaffa calling a demon a human.

Speaking of which… "Where the hell are they all coming from?" Jack muttered aloud, taking his eyes away from his team to pop back up and deliver several more rounds of bullets into enemy Jaffa. Since Mara's proclamation and the sudden appearance of the various Jaffa, SG-1 had steadily been mowing down their opponents left and right. But it seemed that, where one fell, two more leaped up to take his place. SG-3 hadn't been joking when they said that they'd been vastly outnumbered. Jack wasn't sure how much longer Sg-1 could keep fighting at their current pace.

Things might have been better had Mara put any of those 'demonic powers of doom' that she kept raving on about into play, but Jack had told her that such a thing was a big 'no-no' around anyone outside of SG-1 when he and the others had been gearing up in the gateroom. Looking back now, Jack cursed his choice of words. He should have rephrased it to 'no powers unless we're being shot at by deranged Jaffa or angry natives.'

Yeah. That's what he meant.

What Jack didn't know, however, was that Mara had tuned him out half-way through the orders he'd given her back on base. And even if she hadn't, she'd more then likely simply ignored his orders, if only to get a rise from the man. As it was, the only reason she wasn't currently engulfing various jaffa in electricity or roasting the men in hellfire was simply a matter of a lack of will.

After all, it wasn't as though the demon in question had _wanted _to go through a wormhole that lead to an alien planet and fight off hordes of angry jaffa with a gun she could barely control. Hell, if anything else, she wasn't using her abilities simply out of spite, knowing full well that a scuffle like the one she and the others were in would have been over by now if she'd used her abilities.

But that was beside the point.

"Carter! Daniel! How are you two holding up over there?" Jack called out, leaning against the rock protecting him from harm and looking over to where the duo in question were positioned. Not that he could actually _see_ them from where they were hidden, but it always helped to at least have some idea as to where his team was.

The sound of bullet fire faded, and Jack saw a small, dark object sail over the rocks and to the jaffa on the other side. Jack quickly ducked his head and covered his ears, and after several seconds, the grenade went off, sending those caught in the blast into a frenzy of screams.

A fine sheet of dust filled the air, assaulting Jack's senses and causing the man to cough. As the dull roar that had filled his ears from the explosion faded, the colonel could hear several other people coughing, before Daniel's voice greeted his ears. "Jack, we need to get out of here. I don't know about you, but we're running out of ammo over here. I don't know how much longer we keep doing this."

The silver haired man grimaced. "I hear you, Danny-Boy, but unless we can clear a path, these bastards have us pinned."

He could almost see Daniel's frown. Then Carter's voice spoke up. "Sir, what if we used the grenades? If we have enough of them, we could force the jaffa to break in formation and make a run for the gate. Do you think that would work?"

Jack frowned, his brows furrowing together as he went over the plan. It sounded potentially dangerous, using their grenades to clear a path, especially on the terrain they were on, where one well placed 'bang' could cause something of a landslide. And he did _not_ want to return to the gate sliding down a hill on his ass. Not to mention the resulting debris that would no doubt be stirred up by the various explosions. They'd all probably be half-blind and choking by the end of their little venture. And that was only if Carter's plan _worked._

Hearing an angry snarl coming from Bra'tac, followed by an equally angry retort from Mara, Jack made his decision. "Well, it's not like we have any other plans that might work at the moment." He muttered darkly, before raising his voice for all to hear.

Falling back into Colonel Mode, Jack shouted out, "Alright then, I want everyone to regroup. Carter, Daniel, relocate over to my position. Teal'c, Bra'tac, see if you can't provide cover fire for Jotun. Jotun, I want you to get over to Teal'c, grab any grenades he has on him, then move over to the rest of us. If anything else, we're going to end this show with a bang, Kids."

With the fading gunfire, Jack knew his orders were being followed. In between staff fire, Daniel and Carter moved towards him, using the various rocks and boulders as temporary shelters as they dodged from one rock to another, steadily making their way towards Jack. From the corner of his eye, he caught Mara gratefully discharging a spent cartridge before dropping the P-90, allowing the weapon to hang from its strap around her shoulder. He quickly lost sight of her as she disappeared behind another rock, hopefully following his orders and moving to Teal'c's position.

The sound of staff blasts now seemed to dominate the surrounding area, with the cries of jaffa screaming orders to one another and a small bout of gunfire every now and then to keep things interesting. Jack unleashed another round of bullets at the jaffa around him, providing cover fire for Daniel and Carter as the two ran from their rock to his, the jaffa that had been firing at them moving for cover as Jack mowed down two of their men.

"Jack, I really hope you know what you're doing here. I don't want to be blown into smithereens because a jaffa had enough sense to pick up a grenade and throw it back at us." Daniel said, dropping into a kneeling position next to Jack, Carter following at his side and moving to add her bullets with his.

As Carter took over the cover fire, Jack paused in his shooting, looking over at Daniel with a scowl. "Oh thanks you _so_much for the thought, Daniel. As if I didn't already have the thought of impending doom hanging over my head, you had to go and add the pleasant image of us being blown to bits to my mind." The archeologist sent him a look. He ignored it.

"Sir, what about Mar- Lt. Jotun? Can't you have her do something? It'd probably be a little safer rather then throwing grenades at jaffa." Jack looked over at his 2IC with a raised eyebrow. Carter stared back, blue eyes inquiring.

"Having second thoughts, Carter? This _was_ your idea, you know."

The woman frowned. "You might say that Sir. But I've been thinking since then. And why not? She's shown several displays of her 'abilities'. Surely she has some sort of skill or something that can at least distract the jaffa long enough for us to reach the gate."

Jack snorted, popping up and discharging his gun into the pack of jaffa that was steadily making their way closer to their rock. Damn it all, how many were there? It was like the ones he'd killed suddenly came back to life to join their buddies or something. The man paused, blinking at the thought. Zombie Jaffa. That was a new one.

The colonel shook his head, discarding the thought. "Great idea Carter." He said. "I'll just have her mosey on over here and politely ask Little Miss Demon if she can light a fire under some jaffa's ass." Their current predicament was getting to him, it seemed. His sarcasm had gained a biting edge to it. "Don't you think I haven't already thought of that? And since this whole thing started, have you seen Lt. Jotun use any sort of weird power or something?"

Rather then grace Jack with a response and give the older man more fuel for his biting comments to work on, Carter instead opted to turn her attention to the jaffa, taking care as to who her targets were and where her bullets hit. She was, after all, starting to run a little low on ammo. "And just where is the Lieutenant, anyways? It's not like Teal'c was far from her position, or from us, for that matter. It can't take _that _long to grab a few grenades, can it?" She asked herself, before turning her complete attention once more to the jaffa, ducking behind the rock every time the men took aim at her.

Mara, as it turned out, was having some trouble of her own. The old geezer who'd been shouting orders at her left and right had been bad enough, but at least the things Bra'tac had been shouting at her had been helpful. Slightly. And she'd gained a better grip on her weapon during that time, too. The demon could now actually hit something besides the various rocks that lay next to her targets after she'd found something of a rhythm in the way the gun was fired.

But that was before that damn colonel had ordered her to go grab a bunch of explosives from Teal'c. Unlike Sam and Daniel, who had enough sense to use the rocks for cover while making their way to Jack, Mara had opted for a flat out run from her place with Bra'tac to Teal'c. The thought of using one of the boulders for cover from enemy fire never crossed her mind.

And so it was that Mara found herself running like mad across a treacherous terrain that threatened to send her sliding if she wasn't careful, staff fire hot on her tail as she ran towards Teal'c's location. And with staff blast growing closer and closer to her body, Mara found that she didn't just run, she _danced_. Much to the surprise of those watching.

The fanged demon ducked and weaved around various blasts of energy, her face a mask of displeasure as several rounds of fire singed the sleeves of her shirt. Shifting into various stances as she moved, some of which had the lesser trained jaffa gaping in surprise, Mara ran to the pile of rocks Teal'c was behind, leaping over said pile with the aid of her magic. The disguised demon landed on the other side with a grunt, and she slowly sank from the crouch she'd landed in and on to her behind, panting slightly from her sprint.

"You are rather skilled in the sport of acrobatics, Lt Jotun."

Leaning up against the rock she'd jumped over, Mara looked up, meeting Teal'c's dark eyes with a fleeting smile. "Thanks, I think." The woman crawled back to her feet, peeking over one of the large rocks and nearly getting her head blown off as a result.

The demon quickly ducked her head back to the safety of the rocks as several more staff blasts followed the first, looking over at Teal'c once more. "Grenades?"

The large man nodded once, reaching his hand into his vest and withdrawing several of the explosives. The jaffa offered the grenades to the demon, and Mara took them, glancing at the hand-held bombs with a mixture of curiosity and weariness. When was the last time she'd used one of these?

Ignoring the questioning raised eyebrow on Teal'c's face as he saw her expression, the woman pocketed them in her own vest. Too long, in her opinion. The woman gave a mental shrug. Oh well. At least they weren't Skuld Bombs.

Checking one last time to make sure the bombs were held securely in place, Mara looked up at Teal'c once more. "Alright, I think I'm set." She said. "Now let's hope a staff blast doesn't blow me up." Her words were more in jest then anything else. Even if a well placed blast hit one of the grenades she was carrying at the right angle, it was doubtful that Mara would be blown to pieces by the resulting explosion.

More likely, she'd come away from the blast singed and dirty, with most of her current outfit destroyed. The latter a result of wearing BDU's that were not a part of Mara's usual wardrobe, and thus, not as resistant to such explosions as some of her other outfits.

Teal'c grunted something that sounded like an agreement, before turning to peer through a small peephole that had formed from two, somewhat round rocks leaning up against each other. "It would be wise to move quickly, Lt. Jotun. I do not know what false god these jaffa serve, but whoever he is appears to have men to spare. If we do not leave the surrounding area soon, we will be quickly overrun."

Mara nodded her head, blonde bangs bouncing and obscuring her vision for a brief moment. She quickly shoved them to one side. "Right. No worries on this end, Big Guy." She sent the taller man a thumbs up, and with a nod, Teal'c popped up from his cover, firing at the jaffa who were once more steadily making their way to his shelter.

As Bra'tac's fire moved to mix with Teal'c's, Mara bolted once more from her temporary shelter, this time making her way to Jack and the others. Trusting the two jaffa to cover her, Mara sprinted towards her destination, her face determined as she grew closer to her goal.

And she arrived just in time to see Jack crumple to the ground, the residual electrical energy of a zat dancing across his body as he joined Sam and Daniel on the floor. Above the fallen team members, several jaffa stood, and as Mara skidded to a halt in front of them, the one she assumed was their leader-a tall, pale man with straight blonde hair several shades brighter then her own-looked up and, without pause, aimed the zat in his right hand at her.

The demon swore. She'd been too late. The jaffa had broken through their defenses. As the jaffa in front of her moved to join their leader in aiming their staff weapons at her, Mara raised her hands in the air, a frown on her face as she thought over the next choice in action. She could fight back-use her demon-born abilities to wipe the men in front of her from the face of existence-but found herself hesitant to do so.

The tattoo's on their foreheads- a six pointed star- was eerily familiar. The demon inhaled, spreading out her senses with a mixture of dread and excitement, hoping both for and against the magical residue she was seeking out.

Her answer came back to her like a ton of bricks, leaving the woman shivering and panting as her mind provided a name for the owner of the powerful magical trail. "Daimakaicho." She breathed, causing the jaffa in front of Mara to stare at her in veiled confusion.

Staring at the jaffa with wide mahogany eyes that had nothing to do with the weapons aimed at her or fallen comrades before the demon, Mara warily spread her senses outwards, relieved to find no backlash that had initially assaulted her when she'd first Looked.

Yes. Now that she was actively searching for it, she found that the unique signiture of Hild's magic all but covered the jaffa in front of her. Looking behind them, she see more jaffa staring at her with expressionless faces. All of them seemed to be bathed in the supernatural aura that was Hild's. So _that_ was why there seemed to be so many of them.

Jack's thoughts on _Zombie Jaffa _had probably been more correct then he'd have ever initially believed. If Mara squinted, she could just make out the red glow of Hild's magic. The men in front of her were dotted with it, like the spots on a cheetah, no doubt from where they had been struck by various bullets. Whoever Hild was dealing with must have asked for a quasi-immortal army of jaffa. No wonder SG-1 hadn't seemed to make so much as a dent in the enemy's lines. Those that had fallen simply rose back up once their wounds had healed.

Hild was working with a Goa'uld. The words echoed in Mara's mind like a strange mantra, repeating over and over in her brain, and for the life of her, the demon was unsure whether to take this new turn of events in as a streak of fortune or bad luck. As two jaffa moved to her side and began disarming her, Mara weighed the pros of meeting with the Daimakaicho against the cons, leaving only a brief section of her mind to pay attention to the world around her, her body mechanically doing whatever it was the head jaffa ordered of her.

Hild. If there was one person who could cancel any contract between a demon and a mortal, it was her. Maybe she could somehow convince her boss to cancel the contract, maybe even get some answers at to why _she_, of all demons, had been chosen to fulfill this particular contract. Disarmed now, with her hands in shackles, Mara could only hope.

Blinking, the woman slowly came out of her semi-induced state of mind, looking around her and taking note of Teal'c and Bra'tac, their hands bound in much the same way as her own. Bra'tac had a look of disgust on his face, and he glowered at her sullenly. Teal'c was unreadable, save for a look of expectancy on his face as he stared at her, as though knowing that, out of them all, Mara had the best chance of escape.

The woman frowned, giving an almost unnoticeable shake of her head. No. If there was one thing Mara had learned in her existence, it was that there was a time and place for everything, and that sometimes, the best way to get what one wanted was to submit to defeat.

Watching as the jaffa around her bound and disarmed a rather dazed Colonel O'Neil, Mara sighed. This was one of those times. If the only way of meeting with Hild was to allow herself to be captured, then so be it. It wouldn't be the first time she'd actively allowed herself to be defeated, and, as she glanced around at the rest of her 'team', she doubted it would be the last.

~*~

A/N: Damn. I _really_ hated writing this chapter. I had no idea what to do with the fight scene for the longest time, and I found myself staring at Microsoft Word blankly for more then a couple of hours. That, and the fact Word decided to fail on me twice, almost turned me off of writing the chapter altogether. And let me tell you something. Had I lost all the data I but so much time and effort into producing because of some stupid error on Word's part, you can bet that this story would see no further updates.

So yes, I'm sorry if this whole chapter came out like crap, and I feel I let a hell of a lot of people down in regards to Mara fighting off wave after wave of jaffa. Sorry about that folks, but I had never initially wanted to have Mara fighting. That'll come later.

The only good news is the last part, which I'd been striving to get to in the last chapter. The next chappie will be where things start to get entertaining for SG-1, particularly Mara and Sam.


	7. Devil on the Outside, Looking In

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The constant hum of energy filled the cell, soft and low and barely noticeable unless one actively sought it out. The source of the hum was coming from the odd bars of energy that covered the only entrance to the prison, and the bars glowed a soft yellow that would have been easy on the eyes had it not been for the fact that everything else around it shared a similar yellow hue to it. Instead it became something of an eyesore-perhaps a psychological tactic to drive a prisoner insane over a long period of time.

Or perhaps the interior decorator simply had a thing for yellow.

Hopefully, for SG-1's sake, they wouldn't be locked up long enough to find out.

The team had been half-lead, half-dragged off the path where the small battle had taken place, the jaffa that had captured them leading them down another, almost invisible trail and around a large rock face. They'd been greeted with the sight of a rather large Ha'tak, much to the surprise of several members of SG-1. Perhaps they'd expected something smaller then the large Goa'uld mothership, such as an Al'kash, or maybe even the smaller Death Gliders.

Jack had remarked on how Sg-1 must have gained celebrity status to have a Ha'tak actually _land_ for his team to be taken prisoner on, and had gained a rather large bump on the head for his comment. Odd, considering that, by all appearances, none of the jaffa leading them spoke a word of English. Maybe the jaffa who'd whacked Jack with the butt end of his staff had simply wanted the colonel to shut up. After all, Jack had taken to whistling a rather annoying, catchy tune that seemed to lodge itself in the brains of all who'd heard it. Carter had even caught one or two of their guards humming along to the repetitive melody, much to the major's surprise.

Jack had originally done it simply as a small way to bug their guards. No one had expected the jaffa to be so ill trained as to have some actually join him in his quest to drive everyone present insane. The lead jaffa had then taken notice. And a whack to the head had silenced the silver haired man. And the two jaffa who'd joined him.

They'd been lead to a pair of transportation rings under the large ship, something that had surprised Mara. It seemed the demon had never been beamed up into a ship using several rings before, and the woman had yelped when the transportation rings had descended upon the large group. And then they were inside the ship, passing down hallways left and right and taking so many turns that it was almost impossible to keep track of where they were going. It didn't help that all the corridors were identical to one another, without so much as a scratch on the walls to distinguish one hall from another.

Not that it mattered for the group in custody. And soon enough, Sg-1 found themselves in their current predicament: locked up in an eyesore of a prison cell that felt too small for the six people locked up within.

The jaffa had departed soon after throwing the team into the cell, trusting the humming bars of energy to keep the group within its confines. Jack, having long grown used to being locked up in alien cells, had made a sweep of the room with Carter and Daniel, searching for anything in the room that he and his team might be able to use to their advantage. As to be expected, the trio had found nothing, and so Jack had then ordered them to 'make themselves comfy'.

Currently, Jack sat propped up against the wall to the left of the exit, Daniel at his left and Carter at his right, the trio going over various plans and strategies that might work for getting out of the cell. Bra'tac and Teal'c stood off to one side, listening silently and offering input every now and then when asked, though most of their attention was focused on the corridors outside the cell. Mara, the odd one out, sat with her legs crossed, an elbow resting on a knee, her head propped up on a hand as she moodily glared out the bars of their cell.

"So, who do you think is in charge here, Daniel?" Jack asked, fidgeting slightly as he fought to find a comfortable position against the hard metal of the wall.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the bridge of his nose and pushing his glasses back to their original position. Jaffa were not known for being gentle when it came to such objects, and when the stun of the zat that had hit him had worn off, he'd found his glasses had decided they'd rather slide down his nose then sit still. Another pair that would need to be fixed when the team returned home.

"I'm not sure Jack. The six pointed star is usually associated with the Star of David, but somehow I'm getting the feeling that the Goa'uld in charge has little to do with Judaism."

Across from him, Sam nodded. "That's true. We've never really come across any jaffa who were being lead under a Goa'uld using any sort of Jewish references before." The major looked over at Teal'c and Bra'tac, both of which had moved into a guard-like stance, on the look out for any jaffa coming to 'chat'. "Teal'c? Bra'tac? What about you?" She asked, tipping her head slightly to one side as blue eyed woman stared at the jaffa in curiosity.

It was Bra'tac who responded, turning to regard the trio with a small frown. "We have never come across any jaffa bearing such a symbol before. Nor have we heard of any false god using such a symbol as their own. It may be as I initially thought. A new System Lord rising to power." His voice was grave, matching the serious expression on his face.

Jack sighed dramatically, his head falling back against the wall with a dull 'thump'. "Wonderful. Guess we'll just have to wait and see who our 'mystery host' is then." He grumbled, a scowl on his face as he looked out into the corridor. Lazily, brown eyes drifted from the bars of the cell to Mara, who'd been unusually quiet since the team had been captured. Even now, she seemed to be lost in another world, her gaze distant, as though the demon was deep in thought or perhaps trying to recall something of importance.

"Hey, Lieutenant." He called out, watching as the woman's head snapped up in sudden attention, the woman shifting her gaze to his with annoyed mahogany eyes. "Penny for your thoughts?"

The woman frowned at the phrase, perhaps unfamiliar with the saying, if the confusion on her face was any evidence. "What?" She asked, her brows furrowing together in confusion.

"'Penny for your thoughts.' It means, 'What are you thinking about?'" Jack said, a small hint of amusement in his voice as he explained the meaning of the phrase, a small smirk on his face.

The frown turned into a scowl, and Mara looked away. "Nothing you'd understand." She muttered, turning and gazing once more through the bars.

She ignored the raised eyebrow that appeared on Jack's face, as well as the questioning looks Sam and Daniel directed her way. She ignored the suspicious glance Bra'tac cast her way, and the dark hand that was placed on the elder warrior's shoulder as Teal'c shared a look with his old master. No. All of her attention was to the corridor outside their current prison.

And the young girl who stood outside, gazing in with curious violet eyes.

Mara was unsure of when the child had appeared-she'd been too distracted with the going-ons around her to bother paying too much attention to one thing-but she did know that the little girl with the white hair had been observing them for a while. The child had been slow in her observations, eyes lazily drifting from one member of SG-1 to the next with all the speed of a turtle, but Mara found herself inclined not to care.

After all, there were some things that simply weren't done, and rushing the Leader of Demons was one such thing.

Well, no, scratch that. The child in front of the bars of the prison cell was not the Daimakaicho, per say. Rather, the little girl was an Avatar: something of a vassal that contained 1/1000's of Daimakaicho Hild's power. After all, Hild was a very busy woman. She simply didn't have the time or patience needed to give her full and undivided attention to any one contract. There were probably dozens of such Avatars located throughout the universe, even more locked up in various dimensions.

The child's eyes landed on her, and Mara stiffened. Violet eyes lit up and danced in amusement, and Hild grinned, showing off pearly white teeth that contrasted greatly with her dark skin. The girl was dressed in an open vest a shade of royal purple, the garment clinging to her thin frame despite the fact that the vest was long enough to fall to her knees, where the material spread out in a manner that eerily resembled wings-like those found on a bat or a dragon. Gloves long enough to extend past her elbows covered her arms, and a matching pair of shorts and overly large boots adorned her lower torso.

Her hair, an odd shade of white not normally found on any child so young, was done up in two pigtails, each of which ended with one long tress of hair that seemed out of place with the shorter, spikier locks. Long bangs framed a round face, where a red, six pointed star adorned her forehead, two similar five pointed stars under each eye. A pair of equally long locks fell in front or her like two overly long sideburns.

"_Maa-chan, what a surprise._ _So this is where you've been hiding."_ Despite the fact that Hild's mouth moved, no words reached Mara's ears. Instead, the words seemed to form in her mind, reverberating with a power unique to the Daimakaicho. And she was using that god-awful nickname from Japan, too.

Mara opened her mouth to respond, forgetting at that moment that she was not alone, and that, out of all of SG-1, she seemed to be the only one who had taken notice of Hild's presence. Hild brought a finger to her lips though, and Mara's mouth slammed shut with a barely audible 'click'. Teal'c and Bra'tac were the only ones to take notice. "_Now, now._ _There will be plenty of time for you to explain yourself later. You don't want to alert your _friends _to the fact that something is amiss, am I correct?" _Hild's avatar wagged one finger, as though scolding Mara for such rude behavior.

Mara, having learned the consequences of questioning the Daimakaicho first-hand, wisely remained silent, instead staring one with wide, questioning eyes.

"_And such interesting company you keep with you, too."_ The girl's gaze flickered from Mara to Bra'tac and Teal'c, to Jack, Sam, and Daniel. "_You never struck me as the kind of demon to strike deals with such a large group."_ Mara followed her boss's gaze, and as though sensing the attention, Jack looked over at her.

"Hey Jotun, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." The colonel frowned, a flash of concern racing across his face and disappearing before Mara even had time to register it as an emotion, curiosity quickly replacing it.

The demon in disguise shook her head, releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "It…it's nothing Sir." She stammered, turning to look back through the bars once more. But she might have well naught have bothered. Hild was gone. "No…nothing at all…"

Jack's frown deepened, but the man didn't comment, instead turning to Carter and Daniel, who shared a look with him. Daniel shrugged his shoulders, as though saying _beats me_, while Carter took to shaking her head, her expression slightly puzzled.

"Maybe being locked up in an alien jail cell has her spooked, Sir?" She suggested, the major's voice soft as she glanced over at the demon before looking back over at Jack.

The older man shrugged. "Who knows? Do demons even spook that easily?" No answer, be it from Carter or Daniel, came to him. But then, he hadn't really expected one.

"Colonel O'Neil." The trio looked up. Teal'c and Bra'tac had grown tense, and from where she sat, Mara watched the two jaffa with a small amount of curiosity. Sensing their gazes, Teal'c spoke up. "Several jaffa are approaching. It may be in our best interests to be on guard."

Jack nodded, slowly rising to his feet, grimacing slightly as his knee protested. Damn, the Doc was going to have a field day with him when they got back to base. "You heard him kids. Time to greet the bandwagon." Already, he could hear the oh-so-familiar sound of metal booted feet marching towards them, and as Carter and Daniel moved to stand by his side, the jaffa in question came into Jack's line of vision.

There were five of them, three of which were armed with zats, two armed with staff weapons, and as they stood outside the bars of the cell, one of the men wielding a zat spoke up in goa'uld, before pointing to Sam and Mara. As the leader pointed towards the two female members of SG-1, the rest of those present in the jail cell grew tense as well.

"He said he wants the two women to go with him." Daniel said, his voice low as he translated the jaffa's words. "He says Sam and Mara-_Marla_ are to approach the cell bars, and that we are to stand against the far wall."

Jack nodded, his attention focused on the head jaffa. "Well that's all fine and dandy and all, but you see, I just don't think I can let that happen. Carter and Jotun here," He pointed to each woman respectably, gaining a curious glance from Mara and a defiant look from Carter, who turned it on the group of jaffa outside the cell. "Are under my command, and I can't let my kids go running off with a bunch of strangers."

The lead jaffa narrowed his eyes angrily at Jack. Despite the fact that he probably hadn't understood a word of what Jack had said, Jack's tone of voice was more then enough of a 'no'. The man spoke again, this time waving his weapon in a threatening manner.

Once again, Daniel's voice followed. "He says that if we don't do as he orders, he'll shoot us and take Sam and Marla by force." As he spoke, the small pods on the two staff weapons activated, a small wail sounding as a bright glow appeared. It was a warning, and Daniel eyed the staff weapons wearily.

"Sir, as much as I hate to say it, we might want to do what they say." Carter muttered, her expression all but compliant as she glared heatedly at the man in charge, her eyes glittering sapphires as she stood ridged at the colonel's side. The colonel sent her a look, and she held his gaze. "If anything else, I might be able to convince Mara to use her magic. She might be able to create some sort of distraction that we can use to our advantage." The look became dubious, and the major sighed. "It's better then having one of us get shot, Sir."

Jack scowled. Now why did this sound so familiar? "Fine, fine. We'll do it your way." He looked over at Mara, who was still sitting, leaning up against the wall. Her gaze flickered from the jaffa outside to the various team members locked inside, and as he caught her eyes, he motioned for her to come to his side. The woman raised an eyebrow in question, but none the less moved to stand, walking over to Jack, Sam, and Daniel with a small frown on her face.

"Lieutenant, see the nice men staring at us from behind the bars?" He gestured towards the group of jaffa. "They want to take you and the major here on a little trip. We, being the guests of honor, are going to comply with their wishes. Do you know what that means?" There was that sarcasm again. Mara wasn't sure if it was purposely directed at her or if the current circumstances were getting to him.

"No Sir. I don't have a clue as to what it means for me." And, of course, she directed the sarcasm right back at him.

The man grunted, his brown eyes bright with something that could have been annoyance, or just as easily been mistaken for amusement. "It means you and Major Carter are going to be leaving this cell. So by all means, when you're taking a tour of the incredible grand interior, feel free to use those _special abilities_ of yours to ditch your 'tour guides'. I don't want to find out you're all talk and no show, after all. You're a demon, right? _Time to prove it_." The last part came out as a soft growl, as though daring Mara to go back on all the claims she'd made since meeting Jack and the rest of SG-1.

This time it was Mara's turn to scowl, and, insulted, she sent him a dark look before muttering, "Yes Sir." Fine. She'd take out her frustration of the jaffa, then.

Jack nodded, ignoring the dark glare before moving to stand against the back wall. "Alright, Kids. Lets all do as the nice man says and move against the wall." Daniel, a soft frown on his face, moved to stand next to Jack, casting a worried glance to Sam and Mara, who were moving to the entrance of the cell block. Teal'c, after a moment's hesitation, moved to join the two men, and after scowling angrily at the jaffa in front of him, Bra'tac moved to do the same.

A tense moment passed, and then the glowing bars to the cell dissipated. The jaffa with the staff weapons aimed their weapons at the men while those with the zats quickly pointed them towards Sam and Mara, further warning against either woman trying anything funny. The two did a remarkable job of appearing unruffled in the face of the weapons, and confidently strode out into the corridor beyond. Then the bars to the cell appeared once more, and the group of jaffa moved to surround the human and the demon, an armed escort preparing to lead a part of Jack's team off into parts unknown, most likely for interrogation or torture or worse.

Jack glared at the retreating group even after they had disappeared around a corner. "Please, for the love of all that's holy, let them come back alive." He muttered softly. "And for crying out loud Mara, take my orders to heart and _do something_." The colonel sighed in frustration, angry over the fact that he'd allowed a part of his team to be lead off without a fight. Wheeling around, he slammed his fist into the wall, a small part of him taking comfort in the pain that resulted from the move.

"Damn it all…"

Next to him, Daniel placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, giving the man a comforting smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure that between the two of them, Sam and Mara will be able to find a way to escape. After all, Sam had never been one to take things lying down, and I'm sure that with a little direction, Mara will be more then happy to lend a hand to whatever plan Sam comes up with."

Rubbing his sore hand, Jack returned the smile, somewhat comforted by the thought. It came out as a grimace, though. "I sure as hell hope so. After all, what good is a demon on your side when you can't even get her to help out in times of need?"

It was Daniel's turn to grimace. "Good question."

"Colonel O'Neil."

Jack looked over to Bra'tac, who was regarding himself and Daniel with a deep frown. "What's up, Bra'tac?"

"I believe it is time you told me just who and what 'Lt. Marla Jotun' is."

Jack frowned, looking over at Daniel who stared back in alarm. He turned back to Bra'tac. "What are you talking about? She's human."

Bra'tac shook his head though, and Jack felt a knot tighten in his gut. "I do not believe so." He said, staring at Jack with hard, dark eyes. "I have born witness to several events that lead me to believe differently. What's more, I believe you to know it as well." His gaze drifted from Jack to Daniel and back again. "I believe you know what she is, and that you have your reasons for hiding it from me, but I ask you, if not as an ally of the Tau'ri, then as a friend: Please, tell me, who, what is Lieutenant Marla Jotun?"

Jack grimaced, averting his eyes from Bra'tac's, instead moving them to Teal'c, who stood impassively behind his old mentor. As Jack's eyes met his, Teal'c sent him a look, one that clearly stated, _if you don't tell him, I will,_ and Jack sighed once more.

Sliding down onto the floor, his back pressed against the wall once more, Jack looked up at the old warrior. "Alright. But you might as well get comfy. The story's long, and I still have a bit of trouble believing it myself, to be honest with you. See, the whole thing started with a floating CD…"

As Jack began his tale, Daniel slid down next to him, content to listen to the story from Jack's perspective as Bra'tac kneeled down across from them. Teal'c, ever one to remain on guard, positioned himself in front of the bars to the cell, a sentry waiting for any signs of returning enemies.

Or comrades.

~*~

A/N: So I didn't get as far as I'd originally hoped in this chapter. Damn. But I needed a good stopping place, or it would have taken me forever to put up the next chapter. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite the fact that it seems to be more of a filler then anything else. Things should become a little more entertaining in the next chapter, though, so hang in there.


	8. Is That You Mo Dean?

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The hallways seemed all but deserted save for the small group of seven walking down the ship's many corridors. Their footsteps echoed hollowly through the chambers, metal-clad feet almost blocking out the softer 'slap' of rubber soled boots. The two owners of said boots, two women dressed in similar outfits of camouflage BDU's and black vests, seemed to stand out in comparison to the elaborately armored men who surrounded them, like a pair of queens surrounded by their own personal guard.

Or, perhaps more accurately, like a pair of prisoners escorted by their prison guards.

Sam walked with her hands clenched into fists at her side, her mouth little more then a thin, tight frown, shadowed by her dark expression towards the company she was keeping. She walked stiffly, only just keeping the pace, lest the jaffa at her back, a thin, wiry man with coarse black hair, think she was moving too slowly and nudge her none-too-gently with the butt end of his staff, forcing the blue eyed woman to increase her pace.

Mara walked at her side, her disposition relaxed in comparison to Sam's stiff march. Hands swaying lightly from side to side, the woman had taken to glaring at the back of the head jaffa in charge, wondering just _how_ much magic would be required to, quite literally, kill the man with a look.

The group of seven had passed down several different hallways by now, none of which had any definable traits that either mortal or demon could use to backtrack with. "Alright then. Any ideas as to what to expect from our hosts?" Mara asked, sending Sam a side long glance as the group turned down another hallway.

Sam shrugged her shoulders, a grimace on her face. "Well, based on prior experience, we'll probably be lead to whoever's in charge, where we'll be forced to 'bow down to our gods' before being questioned by either jaffa or a goa'uld. From there, we'll probably have a painful torture experience, depending on how forthcoming we are with information." Her tone took on a sarcastic note to it, and Mara was reminded somewhat of colonel O'Neil. "And if we're _really_ lucky, the goa'uld in charge will be one of the more sadistic ones, and we'll be tortured just for the hell of it."

The large group continued, showing no signs of slowing or stopping as they passed various doors. None of the jaffa seemed to bother silencing Sam, further proof that the men didn't speak a lick of English.

Mara frowned, looking over at Sam with almost lazy mahogany eyes. "Huh. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun."

Despite herself, Sam snorted, a smirk appearing on her features. "No. No it doesn't." Her blue eyes glinted in the artificial light of the hallway. "You know what we should do?"

"I have several ideas, but somehow I don't think you'd be following my line of thought. So feel free to divulge your thoughts."

Sam raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment. Some how, she was sure she'd rather _not_ know what demons thought of when under guard by jaffa. "Can't you use one of your…" She waved her hands in the air, searching for a proper term. "…abilities to, I don't know, maybe knock our overly large friends out so that we might escape?"

Mara's eyes narrowed, and the disguised demon folded her arms over her chest. "I _could_ do that." She admitted, a small scowl on her face. "But I don't particularly like the idea of running around with no idea as to where I'm going."

Sam opened her mouth to argue, wanting to convince the demon that, compared to what was no doubt in store for the two of them, wandering around in a Ha'tac the size of a small town was _much _more preferable. However, before she could get a word out, Mara raised a finger. "Hold on. I'm not finished yet."

Sam shut her mouth, an expectant look on her face as the two continued with their conversation, virtually ignored by the five armed jaffa. "It'd be easier to simply possess one of our guards, and _then_ knock them out."

Sam blinked, almost faltering in her step and sending her to the ground. She quickly regained her composure, staring at Mara in surprise. If the jaffa noticed her odd reaction, they ignored it. "Possession?" She asked, watching as Mara nodded her head. "You can possess people?" Another nod, this one accompanied with a small, prideful smirk.

And yet all Sam could do was think of, what was that one movie? The Exorcist or something? That movie with the little possessed girl who's head spun and had a bad case of projectile vomit. How the hell was that going to help their situation? Granted, it would be kind of funny seeing one of their guards' heads do a quick one-eighty, but still…

The major gave a mental shake of her head, banishing the thoughts to the farthest corners of her mind. No. Just because Mara claimed she could possess someone did _not_ mean that the possessed jaffa would go _Exorcist_ on them. She smiled ruefully. She must have been hanging around the colonel too much. His way of looking at things was starting to get to her. More likely Mara meant that she could take over another person like a goa'uld, though perhaps in a slightly different, more supernatural way.

And as she thought more on it, the more appealing it started to sound. After all, what would look more suspicious to a group of jaffa? Two oddly dressed women armed with zats and running down various hallways and corridors? Or a single jaffa armed with a staff weapon or a zat, returning a prisoner to her cell?

Rousing herself from her thoughts, the blue eyed woman looked over at her demonic companion. Mara stared back with half-lidded, somewhat impatient eyes. "Well?" She asked. "Are you up to it?"

Sam hesitated, a sliver of doubt running through her. "What will happen to the jaffa you possess?"

The woman narrowed her mahogany eyes at her, snorting in disdain. "What do you care? He's our enemy." The major sent her a dark glare, and the demon scowled. "Alright, fine. Nothing bad will happen. He'll just 'go to sleep', in a sense, and wake up with a chunk of his memory missing." The glare became doubtful, and the long haired blonde sighed. "I swear that's all that'll happen to him."

Carter bit the inside of her lip, her gaze roaming from one jaffa to the next before returning to Mara. "…All right." She said. "What do we need to do?"

Mara's grin was feral, and Sam was given the vague impression of a wild animal. "It's simple. All we need is a small distraction, just long enough for me to prepare." The woman cast brown eyes that were quickly fading to a shade of red her way. "Think you can handle it?"

Sam closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it with a hiss. She looked over at Mara, eyes hard and face determined. "Let's do it."

"Excellent." The grin grew into a toothy smile, revealing elongated canines. "Then I suggest you duck."

"What ar-" Sam didn't even have time to finish her question as Mara suddenly wheeled on her, a globe of sparking red energy in her hand and quickly coming towards Sam's face. Several years worth of military training kicked in, and sure enough, Sam ducked, the compact mass of red leaving Mara's hand and sailing over Sam's head.

The small ball of energy impacted against the jaffa at Sam's side, and the man roared in pain as the ball exploded into red lightning that danced across his body. As the magical energy faded, the jaffa dropped to the ground, and Carter was unsure if Mara had killed him or if he was merely unconscious.

She didn't have time to dwell on it though, for while the abrupt attack had taken the remaining jaffa off guard, they were quickly coming to their senses. Refusing to give the jaffa at her back any opportunity to use his staff weapon, Sam rammed into him, the duo falling to the floor as the light haired major fought for control of the weapon.

Behind her, the blue eyes woman could hear the excited shouts of the other guards, as well as the tell tale 'screech' of a zat. She braced herself for the pain that accompanied it, or perhaps listening for the 'thump' of Mara's body hitting the floor, but none came. Rather, feminine laughter rose to echo through the corridor, and both Sam and the jaffa she grappled with paused in their struggle as a shiver simultaneously ran down their spines.

Both combatants looked to the owner of the voice, finding Mara standing with her back turned to them, facing off against the remaining three jaffa. The trio surrounded her on three sides armed with either a staff weapon or a zat, with the leader in front.

He looked afraid.

And it quickly became apparent why. Mara's form was bathed in an eerie red aura that danced and flickered over her form. A sweep of her arm, and a small part of the aura separated from her, spreading out in a wave and slamming into the jaffa that surrounded her. The men flew backwards, the two at her sides striking the walls with pained shouts, while the man in front of was sent sailing down the hallway, skidding to a halt several feet away.

Soft moans emerged from either of the fallen jaffa at her side, and the demon turned towards Sam and her opponent. Blue eyes widened, and a gasp escaped Carter's throat. If there had been any doubt as to Mara's claim as a demon, they all vanished from the major's mind in that instant. Approaching them at a slow, predatory gait, Mara looked like the devil herself. She walked in such a manner that long bangs shadowed her face, and Sam was unsure whether it was a trick of the light or if her eyes were indeed glowing. The facial markings had made another appearance, and unlike the demon's eyes, the major was certain they were glowing. An almost malicious smile, made all the more so by her fangs, framed her face, growing larger as she grew closer to the two combatants.

A wave of fear washed over Carter, and the woman looked away, turning her attention back to her opponent, who was still looking past her and at Mara. _Remember, she's on you're side._ The woman with the short cropped blonde hair thought. _Whatever she has planned, it isn't going to affect you._ The thoughts did little to reassure her.

Doing her best to ignore the glowing demon that was quite literally at her back, the woman shifted her grip on the staff weapon that she and the jaffa she was on top of were fighting over. She yanked, and it came away with barely a struggle. It seemed that the man's attention was focused entirely on Mara, who was now hovering over the human and jaffa.

As Sam yanked the staff weapon out of the jaffa's grasp, one of Mara's hands slowly reached for them, the gloved hand alight with red energy that danced and swayed to an unknown beat. It reached past Sam, moving towards the jaffa's exposed flesh.

And it was in that moment that the jaffa snapped out of his trance.

Perhaps it was the sudden loss of the staff weapon that had once been in his hands, but the jaffa came to his senses, his eyes leaving Mara's glowing form and focusing on Sam's sapphire eyes for a brief second. They narrowed at hers, and before Sam even had a chance to prepare herself, the jaffa kicked her off with a strength that hadn't been obvious several minutes ago.

The major gasped out a pained curse as the kick slammed into her gut. The blow sent her reeling off the jaffa she had pinned.

And right into the red, glowing hand that was Mara's.

The hand grazed the back of her neck, and as Sam turned, she saw the glow that enveloped Mara faded. Mara's eyes locked onto her own, and in them, Carter saw a dawning horror as the demon's eyes widened.

There was a red flash, and Mara disappeared.

The demon's wide, shocked red eyes were the last thing Sam saw before the world went black.

~*~

The jaffa slowly picked himself up from where he'd fallen. Quickly, he grabbed his staff weapon from where it lay next to the dazed woman with the short blonde hair. The other prisoner had disappeared in a flash of red light, and as he looked around, he could find no trace of her.

Witchcraft.

The man cast a glance to his comrades, who were, like himself, slowly picking themselves up. They were bruised and battered, but otherwise none the worse for wear. Further down the hall, he could see Thy'san, the one in charge, jogging lightly back to them, his armor ringing with each step, and a small limp to his gait from where he'd landed awkwardly from the witch's magic. And yet, even as he approached, the limp became less and less obvious, a sure sign that the symbiote dwelling within him was doing its job.

Taking another glance at the woman, the jaffa moved to check on Ju'ton, who had been the first to fall to the tau'ri witchcraft. The man was unconscious, but alive. He left him to where he was leaned up against the wall. The symbiote would wake him up when the damage had been repaired.

"What has become of the prisoners?"

He looked up to Thy'san, who was looking at him expectantly. He shrugged. "I no not. They attempted to escape, as you know, and it would seem that the witch has succeeded in that department. She has disappeared, though it seems her loyalties to her own people are not strong. Her comrade remains, though I am confused as to why she suddenly became unconscious." He motioned to the woman, who had barely moved from where she'd fallen, the only signs that she still lived being a soft moan every now and then, as though she was lost in the throws of some great nightmare.

Thy'san grunted something unintelligible, before moving to the prisoner. She was lying on her stomach, and with an iron-clad boot, the jaffa rolled her onto her back. The woman groaned, but was otherwise unresponsive. Kneeling down, he grabbed the prisoner by the collar of her black vest and hoisting the woman into the air.

Dazed blue eyes fluttered open, and for a brief second, Thy'san was certain they flashed an eerie shade of red. A second look, however, revealed that his mind was only playing tricks with him. The sorceress who had thrown him several feet must have left more of an impression then he'd originally thought.

"Where has your comrade disappeared to?" He demanded, pressing the blue eyed tau'ri against the wall. The woman blinked groggily at him, and he recalled that it was only the vision-impared man and the two jaffa with him who actually understood the lauguage of the gods.

At least, that had been what he'd thought until she responded.

"Is that you, Mo Dean?" She asked in clear, distinct Goa'uld, causing Thy'san to blink in confusion. Who was this 'Mo Dean' that she spoke of? Perhaps it was one of her comrades back on the Tau'ri home world…

"No. I am Thy'san and you are to tell me what has happened to the sorceress that was in your company."

More dazed blinking. "The inter-dimensional outer space being?" This time the words came out in a sing-song voice, and despite the fact that she seemed barely conscious of her environment, Thy'san got the distinct impression that the short haired blonde was somehow mocking him.

The jaffa narrowed his eyes at her, shaking the woman none-too-gently. "Do not play me as a fool. Tell me what I want to know!" He growled, a threat of violence in his voice.

The woman didn't respond at all this time, and an ugly sneer appeared on his face. The only thing that kept the ruffled jaffa from striking the short haired woman was a hand that landed on his shoulder. He looked to the owner, finding Nec'tal, the one who had been originally tackled by the woman in Thy'san's grasp, at his side.

"Stop this foolishness." He said. "The wench is not in her right mind. The witch that was her companion must have done something to her before disappearing. Let us hurry and be done with her. We can split up and send half our group after the escaped prisoner in the mean time."

Thy'san looked as though he was ready to argue, and the jaffa spoke once more. "Remember, it was ordered that both wenches be delivered unharmed. It would greatly displease Our Lady to find out that we disobeyed such orders."

The rebellious look faded from Thy'san's eyes, and his grip on the woman's uniform slackened somewhat at the unspoken threat of his Goddess's wrath. "Very well." He growled out. "You and I shall deliver this one to The Lady. The others will go after the sorceress."

Nec'tal nodded, and Thy'san lowered the Tau'ri warrior down to the ground, positioning her on unstable feet. The wench wavered in an almost drunken manner, and Thy'san grabbed one of her arms, steadying her and preventing her from escape at the same time. As Nec'tal moved to grab her other arm, Thy'san sent a look to the remaining jaffa.

"Find the sorceress." He ordered. "Do not let her escape. Do whatever is nessicary short of killing her. I do not want a witch running through our ship unguarded." The men nodded in affirmation, and with a nod of his own, he dismissed them. As the remaining men in his group disappeared around the corner, Thy'san looked down at the woman in his grasp. Her head lolled to one side, and she pinned him with a bleary blue gaze. He looked over at Nec'tal. "Let us depart."

The man grunted in confirmation, and the trio consisting of two jaffa and one human made their way down the corridors once again.

~*~

A little known fact amongst demon-kind is the fact that possession, as a rule, was not as easy as one made it out to be. It was one of the reasons that there were so few demons that actually _could_ possess other life forms, and those that could usually held a minimum of a second-class license.

Contrary to popular belief, a demon did not simply approach a human and decide 'oh, I like that body, I think I'll possess it' and then jump in to the host. In actuality, it was a little more complicated then that.

A demon needed to take in several things in regards to their 'host': strength of will, size, resistance to magic, and a whole plethora of other small, yet incredibly important, bits of information. It was one reason people didn't see half-crazed humans running around screaming nonsense all that often, and even then, such an occurrence was usually the result of an attempted possession gone wrong by a demon who _thought_ they could handle their host, but quickly found themselves overwhelmed by a will stronger then their own.

And while this was not the case with Mara and Sam, it was somewhat similar.

Mara had not been trying to possess Sam. Her aim had been to that of Nec'tal, the jaffa that Sam had been sitting on top of. As such, she'd adjusted her demonic aura to fit his, containing the right amount of barriers and seals that would safely allow her to possess him with little to no trouble on either's part.

For an experienced demon, it only takes a brush of exposed flesh to possess a host.

Which was why Mara had been so horrified when her hand had brushed Carter's neck. A mortal's aura was as different as their fingerprint. Each person had different strengths and weaknesses unique to their character. Mara had read Nec'tal's aura, and had adjusted hers to mimic his as closely as possible, and her body had entered a certain type of state that was both on the material plane and the astral plane; the perfect state of being for a demon about to possess a body.

However, when Mara had touched Carter, the demon's aura had automatically locked on to the major's, and rather then entering the body of a man both taller and wider then her, Mara instead found herself suddenly crammed into a body smaller then hers, with a different tolerance level to supernatural influence and an unknown amount of willpower.

For Mara, it was like stepping on a landmine.

The barriers and seals she'd set up that were supposed to protect both her and her host from damaging one another were suddenly about as useful as a paper vest in a bullet range. Carter's mind had instinctively recognized Mara's presence as a hostile entity, and had automatically gone about attacking her in any way it knew how. The demon has suddenly found herself assaulted with memories and a plethora of information and formulas that would have overwhelmed Mara to the point of insanity had she been a lesser-classed, inexperienced demon.

It was a typical response to a possession gone wrong, and one of the many reasons why only higher-classed demons were allowed to possess mortals.

As it was, Mara _had _been overwhelmed. The sheer amount of knowledge that Sam wielded was taken her off guard, and she'd quickly-if only temporarily-swept away in the current of information.

Which was one reason she had made little to no sense to the jaffa that had questioned her. While her mind had recognized the words to be in goa'uld and had responded in the same manner, she sprouted off the first thing that came to her mind. And at that time, unfortunately, it had been the lyrics of a song from the late eighties to early nineties.

She was only now just coming out of her daze, her aura having adjusted to Carter's and sending the woman's subconscious into a more peaceful state of dormancy.

The woman blinked, eyes adjusting to the ugly, glaringly yellow walls that surrounded her as her mind returned to the material plane. She squeezed her eyes shut against the brightness, suppressing a moan. What had she missed? From the point of possession to her current state, there was a large gaping hole in her memory, and a glance to each side revealed little aside from the fact that she was still a captive, and that she was once again being lead somewhere.

She couldn't have been out of it long; not with the way the two jaffa at her sides took notice of her glances, but neither of them offered any sort of commentary, and so she was left in the dark once more. A small part of her wondered if she'd accidentally said something or done something when she was out, but she quickly brushed it off. If she had done something, it was too late to do anything about it.

The group of three turned down another corridor, coming to rest in front of a pair of large, highly decorated doors. _Guess it's time to meet the boss._ Mara thought to herself, watching as the man on her left moved to press some sort of combination into the little mechanical pad off to the side of the doors.

The door slid apart with a soft _hiss_ and the trio was on the move once more, the double doors sliding shut behind them as they entered the room. The room was the largest Mara had seen yet, feeling open and endless in comparison to the cramped cell she'd been forced into or the narrow corridors that all looked so identical to one another. Several jaffa stood at guard in various places around the room, staff weapons in hand as they eyed her unenthusiastically.

Three thrones adorned the center of the room, and as the demon-possessed human and the two jaffa accompanying her entered, one of the three woman who sat on the thrones moved to stand, a deep frown on her face as she regarded the trio. As her gaze met Sam's-or was it Mara's?-eyes, the woman's eyes flashed a bright yellow, and in a dual voice she demanded, "What are you doing here?"

The possessed major blinked. Yep, definitely a goa'uld. What was it with their obsession with the color yellow, anyways? It was such an irritating color when in excess. Maybe goa'uld were naturally colorblind… "Well, I'd like to know that myself. Last I checked, I wasn't the one who really wanted to be beamed aboard a giant pyramid." She said, a small note of sarcasm once again finding its way into her voice.

The jaffa at her right glared at her. "You will show respect to your gods, wench." He snarled, his staff weapon whipping across the back of her legs and sending the woman tumbling to the floor. She landed on her hands and knees with a snarled curse. No one around her offered any comments in response.

Instead, another woman spoke up, this one shorter then the first, but refusing to rise from her perch on the throne. She looked down at Sam-Mara from folded hands. "That is not what my sister meant, Major Samantha Carter of the Tau'ri." She said, her voice, like that of her…sister…in a dual tone.

The last of the trio spoke up, this one the tallest of the three Goa'uld sisters, her head propped up on a raised arm. "Further more, we were not addressing you, Human." The major looked up at her in confusion, finding that the woman's irritated gaze was fixed more on the two jaffa that had lead her to the chamber then at herself. "We were addressing the ones who brought you here." The goa'uld's eyes flashed angrily before narrowing at the jaffa. Both of them tensed.

"My Ladies…did you not wish to meet with the female prisoners?" The jaffa on her left asked hesitantly, looking for all the world ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

"No." The word came from all three siblings, their dual tones echoing and melding with one another and creating an odd, hollow note in the thick of their reply.

The standing one spoke again, a threat of violence in her voice and a warning to the jaffa to _think_ before responding. "Tell me, jaffa. Just who is it that you heard this from? This…" She waved her hand in the air, as though searching for the proper words. "…information of us wishing to meet this prisoner. Who ordered you to send for them?"

The jaffa remained silent, and the possessed major risked a glance up at him. He looked troubled, as though he himself was unsure of who had given him the orders. A look over at the other jaffa revealed a similar expression, and Sam-Mara frowned.

"I did."

Hild's voice rang throughout the large chamber, echoing in all directions and seeming to come from everywhere at once. The possessed major watched as everyone in the room tensed, heads flying in various directions as they sought out the location of the owner of the voice. And yet, she herself found her eyes drawn to the single empty throne in the center of the room. It resonated with a negative aura, and the more she focused on it, the more the aura seemed to take shape, shifting and weaving before her very eyes into an all-too-familiar form. The aura darkened, as if bathed in shadow, before lightening and revealing its true owner.

The child like Hild sat on top of the throne, a small leg resting on top of the other, her head resting on top of interlaced fingers. She stared down at the three sisters through thick silver bangs, her unnerving violet eyes framed in shadow, and an amused, almost playful smirk on her face. The trio of goa'uld siblings stiffened at her appearance, and the woman standing looked to the various other occupants in the room.

"Leave us." She ordered, her double voice sharp and commanding. Around her, the many jaffa that acted as guards eyed her and her sisters wearily, before glancing over at Hild. Slowly, they did as the woman bid, filing out of the room.

The two jaffa on either side of the major moved to pick her up and lead her away, but a red spark of electricity stopped them. It wasn't Mara's doing.

"No." Hild's voice once again rang through the chamber. "This one stays." She was staring at Sam-Mara now, and the smirk grew in to a toothy grin. The possessed major swallowed a lump that suddenly lodged itself in her throat.

The jaffa at her side looked over at Hild, before glancing to the three siblings. The tallest of the trio, still sitting, but now gripping her throne with white knuckles, nodded stiffly. The two released Sam-Mara, leaving her where she'd fallen, before turning and following their comrades through the door.

As the last jaffa filed out of the room and the twin doors slid shut once more, Hild spoke up once again. "Now that they're out of the way," She said, her voice holding a deadly calm not to it. "Would you mind telling me what you're doing so far from home, Mara?"

~*~

A/N: _Is that you Mo-Dean?_

_It's me Mo-Dean_

_The interdimensional Outer Space Being_

Song is 'Is that you Mo-Dean?' By the B-52's. When I was doing the outline for this chapter, I couldn't help but laugh like an idiot at the thought of a possessed Carter muttering the lyrics of a song that, in my eyes, seems strangely fitting wherever SG-1 is concerned. See what happens when you let my mind wander?

Joking aside, I hope this chapter makes up for the last chapter that I wrote. I have to say, with only one review for the chapter, it wasn't very encouraging, to say the least. Not that I'm begging for reviews or anything like that, but it is nice to get some feedback on how everyone else thought the chapter came out. You know, whether it really _did_ turn out as crap or if I'm only bitching because I can. Otherwise I have no way of knowing if I should bother continuing with the story or not. Hell, for all I know, people could be reading half-way through the latest chapter before thinking, _oh dear god this sucks,_ and pressing the 'back' button.

So to all you lurkers out there: Show some love. Tell me what you think. If you like the story enough to favorite it or put it on your alert list, could you at least tell me why? As it is, next Tuesday is going to be when I head over to MEPS for my ASVAP test and a physical. Depending on what happens, I'll either be so giddy that I won't be able to focus, or so depressed that writing would be the last thing on my mind. So a few reviews might do me some good, if only to wish me luck on my test.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter more then the last. I'll see you next time.


	9. Meetings with the Daimakaicho

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The chamber was vast and silent. Walls seemed to go on forever, and the ceiling seemed little more then a speck against the golden interior of the room. In the deafening silence of the room, one could almost hear the panicked heartbeats of three of the five occupants present.

And if they could hear the heartbeats of the three goa'uld sisters, then there was no doubt they could hear the sudden, quickening breath of the short haired woman that was the focus of all present.

"What?"

Despite the fact that Mara had possessed her, Sam's voice rang out clear and true within the chamber, seeming to echo and bounce off the towering walls that surrounded the group of women.

Sitting on top of the empty throne, Hild's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you misunderstand me? I want to know what you are doing here, Mara." She hissed, causing those present to flinch at the hostility in her voice.

One of the sisters spoke up, turning from where she stood to regard Hild with eyes a blue several shades darker then Sam's. "My Lady? I believe you have this one," she motioned towards the possessed major. "Confused with someone else. This is Major Samantha Carter of the Tau'ri. Not some 'Mara'." She glanced once more at the military officer. "Is it not?"

For Mara's part, the demon currently residing within the body of Major Carter was unsure whether to admire the goa'uld for her brave words, or shake her head in fault at the woman's foolish move of correcting Hild.

Hild turned sharp violet eyes towards the black haired woman, and the goa'uld flinched, any further words dieing away before they even had a chance at life. "I'm sure she is." Hild said, her voice the calm before the storm. "However…" The child like demon disappeared from where she sat perched on top of the throne, reappearing in front of the possessed Carter. "…I also recognize one of my field agents when I see her, even if she has possessed one of her 'clients'."

From where she sat crouched in front of the three sisters and Hild, Sam-Mara swallowed uneasily. Standing as she was, Hild's small form just came up to the kneeling woman's face, leaving the demon-possessed major and the Daimakaicho's Avatar at eye level with each other. "And while I'll admit that you are cute with short hair, Mara, I believe it's time I relieved you of your host."

The Daimakaicho reached a hand out towards the possessed woman's head, and blue eyes widened before briefly flashing red. Hild was going to _force_ her out of Sam? The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up, yet woman stood stock still, not daring to move lest a mishap between herself and Hild occur. Small fingers grazed Sam's forehead, and the red emblems that signified Mara's rank as a demon flashed a bright red on her face.

"Time to leave." Hild cooed, and then a wave of energy surged through Hild's hand and into Sam's body. Twin screams that seemed to be a mockery of a goa'uld's dual tones rippled through the air as the Daimakaicho's magic tore through Sam's body, seeking out the demon that hid within and forcing Mara out of the Major.

The two separated from one another, and Mara feel to the ground, smoke rising from her body. Sam, whose consciousness had awaken at the newest intrusion to her body, had just enough time to get one good look at the child in front of her before her brain went in to 'lockdown mode'. Her eyes rolled back into her head and with an agonized moan, the poor major collapsed once more into the depths of unconsciousness, both her mind and body feeling the strain of being assaulted by two very powerful demonic entities.

Hild stared at the unconscious major for a small moment, kneeling down and poking the woman in the arm. Getting no response, the child like being shrugged. _Perhaps it was not in the best of interests to force Mara from her little friend._ She thought to herself. _From the looks of it, the possession as a whole was a mistake from the very start._ A dark smile appeared on her face, and the child turned to look over at Mara, who was slowly moving to sit up, a thin trail of smoke still rising from her form. _I wonder what repercussions will result from such actions._

Walking over to Mara's side, where the woman now sat clutching her head with a grimace, Hild pushed her thoughts aside for another time. There would be time enough for such contemplation-and who knew? Perhaps even observation-later. Right now though…

"That's much better."

Near their respectable thrones, the three goa'uld siblings looked on in surprise. But not shock. No, having made a deal with the Leader of Hell herself, shock was beyond the three of them now. The shorter of the two sitting blinked, raising her head from her palm. "So…does this mean that the infamous SG-1 has formed a contract of their own?"

The question went unanswered as Hild ignored her in favor of Mara. No one seemed to notice Sam's body twitch, either.

"Now then Mara, I'll ask you again." The demon looked up at Hild, who stood over her with her arms crossed, an intimidating aura emanating from her that made the child seem much taller then she actually was. "What are you doing on this planet? You should be back on Earth, in Japan, making life miserable for my daughter and her sisters." Violet eyes glittered coolly as Hild awaited an answer.

Mara squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply before letting her breath out in a hiss. Her head hurt from Hild's attack, though it would be nothing in comparison to the headache Sam would have when the major awoke. "You mean…you don't know?" She asked hesitantly, unsure if the demon liked the direction the conversation was going.

A slim, raised white eyebrow was her answer. The demon swallowed, licking lips that were suddenly dry. "Hild-Daimakaicho, I was ordered to seal a contract with Colonel Jack O'Neil." _You mean to tell me she doesn't know?_

She stiffened as Hild's eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Colonel Jack O'Neil?" She questioned. "The name is unfamiliar to me."

Mara's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. _What!? How could she_ not _know who Jack is? She's the Daimakaicho-any and all contracts that are made are supposed to go through her!_

As the CEO of the Infernal Realm, Hild was, in a sense, the Almighty of Hell. As such, she was directly linked to the Infernal Realm's main computer system, Nidhogg. Anyone and everyone who was a candidate for a contract, no matter how small and insignificant the person, was stored in Nidhogg's mainframe. As such, Jack's name should have been familiar to Hild. To find out that Mara had sealed a contract with a man who's name Hild didn't recognize was disconcerting, at the very least.

"H-Hild…are you sure?" Mara stuttered, hoping, almost praying, that she had somehow misheard the Daimakaicho.

Hild frowned deeply, giving Mara a look. "Are you questioning my abilities, Maa-chan?" She asked sweetly, though the look on her face was anything but pleasant.

Unable to hold the Daimakaicho's gaze, the demon cringed before looking away. "No Hild."

"What does it matter if the Colonel's name is familiar to you or not?"

A fresh voice spoke up, ringing clearly through the silent chamber and bringing everyone's attention to the owner. Sam sat kneeling on one knee, a deep grimace of pain on her face as she stared at Hild and Mara with one bleary blue eye. Her breath came out short and ragged, and a careful examination of her figure showed that she was trembling ever-so-slightly.

Looked like she was feeling the after affects of Mara's possession. Or was it the after affects of Hild ripping Mara from her body?

"Ah. I see you're awake." Hild vanished from Mara's side in a small whirlwind, reappearing right in front of Sam's face. The woman jumped, loosing her balance in her kneeling position and falling onto her back with a grunt.

As the blue eyed major struggled into a sitting position once more, Hild regarded her with an impish grin, and Mara couldn't help but marvel at the way Hild could go from serious to playful in a manner of seconds. _All work and no play make Hild a bored Daimakaicho_.

"My Dear, it matters to me a great deal." She said, her eyes sparkling with humor as Sam frowned. "You see, for me to not know your Colonel's name means that someone, somewhere, screwed up in their job." Hild smiled, revealing pearly white teeth. Somehow, it seemed malicious in Sam's mind. "And when someone screws up, it creates problems for me."

The major slowly nodded her head, a frown of consternation on her face. "Right…" It was obvious that she was missing something. "And just who are you again?" She asked, examining the little girl carefully and taking in the odd red emblems on the child's face. A red six pointed star, with two similar five pointed stars under her eyes. They reminded Sam of Mara's markings. Add to the fact that the child had 'magically' appeared right in front of her, and the short haired woman was almost certain that she was dealing with another demon.

For if nothing else, one thing was certain. Whoever this child was, she was not another Cassandra Frasier.

The smile on the dark skinned girl's face grew larger, and Sam was disturbingly reminded of the Cheshire Cat from _Alice_ _in Wonderland._ "I am Daimakaicho Hild." She said, crossing one booted leg over the other and leaning back, gloved arms crossed lightly over her small chest. It took Sam a moment to realize the child was hovering, inclined, in the air.

"Daimakaicho?" Carter repeated slowly, the word alien on her lips.

"Yes. Leader of Demons. You might say I'm her," The child pointed to Mara. "Boss."

Sam stared at Hild blankely, her ears hearing the words but her mind not _quite_ grasping what they meant. Daimakaicho. Leader of Demons. Mara's boss. A child?

_Sure. Why the hell not?_ Sam thought to herself. _It isn't as though anything else is making sense here, anyways._ Besides, chances were that she'd seen stranger in her line of work. Not that Sam could think of anything at the moment.

"Mara's…boss…" Sam's eyes lit up as a thought came to her. "Wait, does that mean you can cancel Jack's contract?" She asked, straightening from where she sat and pain for it as a spike of pain streaked up her back. The woman winced. Damn, she was still sore. And just how had she gotten that way, anyhow? The last thing she remembered was sitting on top of a jaffa in a hallway before waking up in pain in her current surroundings.

In front of her, Hild arched a platinum brow. "Oh? So you believe that just because I'm Mara's superior, I can go about canceling the contract she made with yours?" She asked, amusement in her voice.

From where she sat several feet away, Mara's eyes widened as she stared at the two conversing females.

Sam frowned, shifting into a somewhat more comfortable position on the cold floor. "Well, when you put it that way…" She trailed off, a discouraged note in her voice as she looked down at her folded legs.

"Your right, though."

The major's head whipped up, cerulean eyes widening in surprise. "What?"

Indigo eyes sparkled with laughter. "I said your right. I _can_ cancel the contract, if I wanted." The child leaned forward, a small hand moving to stroke Sam's cheek in an almost affectionate manner. She smiled cheekily. "Kudos to you for coming to such a realization so quickly. I love it when a girl can prove to be both cute _and_ smart." She lazily gazed over at Mara. "Good job on this one. Maybe when all this is sorted out, I'll take this one for myself." She called, and Sam couldn't help but withdraw from Hild's touch. She wasn't sure what Hild had meant, yet somehow Carter was sure she didn't want to know.

Mara's only response was a weak, rather forced smile. She picked herself up off the floor, the smoke that had been wafting from her having fully dissipated into the air, and stumbled over to her boss and temporary companion. "So does that mean you'll do it then?" She asked, her voice hopeful, yet somewhere deep within her gut, the demon was doubtful.

Experience with Hild had taught the demon that, while Hild said one thing, chances are that she usually meant something else. Or that she wouldn't do what she proclaimed altogether. Not without either a damned good reason or something else in payment. She was the Leader of Demons for a reason, after all.

Hild floated backwards, and Sam moved to stand, wobbling on unsteady legs that threatened to give under her weight. Surprisingly, Mara grabbed her, and the major leaned into the demon, using the taller woman for support. "Thanks." Sam muttered, glancing up at the demon with surprised blue eyes before redirecting her attention to the child in front of them.

It was funny how the three goa'uld sisters seemed to have been forgotten amongst the small discussion.

Not that any of them had decided they wanted to draw attention to themselves. Obviously, this was beyond them, and for once, the trio, their race known for arrogance and love for attention, wisely decided to remain silent and simply observe the interactions between the Daimakaicho, the demon, and the major.

Hild grinned at her minion and the human she was supporting. "No. Not at all." She said, the wing like trails of her vest swaying lightly on a wind that was not present. Mara sighed despondently, having expected the answer, yet still hoping to acquire different results. Leaning against her, Sam frowned, her brows drawing together in discontent as she stared at the Daimakaicho.

"Why?" She asked. "Why can't-_won't_ you cancel the contract between Colonel O'Neil and Mara? Wouldn't it be easier then allowing this to continue as it is?"

Hild held a hand up, waving a finger back and forth as though lightly scolding Carter. "Now, now. It isn't your place to question me, little girl. But you've caught me in a good mood, so I suppose I'll humor you." Indigo eyes darted from Sam to Mara. "And Maa-chan, too. I'm sure she's just _dieing_ to know my reasons, even if she isn't talking."

Mara cringed under her boss's gaze, but none the less remained steady, releasing her grip on Sam's arm when the woman pulled away after a quick glance. This time, there were no signs of Sam's legs threatening to give, and the shorter woman shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

"For the time being, Mara will abide by the contract she has set with Colonel Jack O'Neil. Until I find out who or what caused this mischief, I want to know just what it is about this man that supposedly made him eligible for a contract with one of my best field agents." It sounded more like a declaration then anything else. One look at Hild, hell, just the tone of her voice, made it clear that she was addressing neither Sam nor Mara, but perhaps both of them at the same time.

Sam fought back the sudden urge to salute the child floating in front of her and shout 'Yes Ma'am!' like a newly enlisted soldier. For someone wearing the appearance of a child, Hild seemed to command all the respect and authority of a general issuing orders to her troops, and a side long glance at Mara showed much the same response.

Apparently, the reactions on both woman and demon's part did not go unnoticed, and Hild smiled, nodding her head in approval and sending her wild hair bouncing. "Very good. And as an act of good will, I'll even allow you to leave with your weapons." She said, raising a small gloved hand and snapping her fingers.

It was probably best not to think too deeply on how Hild managed such a feat with leather gloves. Some things were better left unknown.

As Hild snapped gloved fingers, Mara and Sam looked at one another, the latter of which lit up at the prospect of having her weapons returned to her. Neither demon nor woman paid any attention to the cries of protest from the three goa'uld sisters eavesdropping several feet away. Hild silenced them with a hard look.

The snap echoed throughout the chamber, bouncing off the ceiling and walls before slowly fading. And it was above the heads of Sam and Mara that several P-90's, zats, several grenades, and a lone staff weapon materialized with a soft _whoosh_. The duo looked up in surprise, a pair of red and blue eyes simultaneously widening as the weapons hovered over two blonde heads.

Sam had enough sense to run out from under the floating weapons.

Mara didn't.

Hild didn't bother to hold back the child like giggle that erupted from her throat as the weapons came crashing down on Mara's head. The woman let out a pained yelp before loosing her balance and joining the weapons on the floor, sitting up and rubbing her head with a moan.

From where she stood off to one side, Sam stared at the demon with an incredulous look, before sighing in exasperation and trotting over to the red eyed woman. "Are you alright?" She asked, offering Mara a hand and pulling the woman to her feet when Mara took it.

Mara rose to her feet with a grunt, rubbing her head tenderly. "Peachy." She muttered sourly, ignoring the disbelieving snort from Sam and swiping a P-90 from the ground.

Sam followed suit, squatting down and retrieving a P-90 of her own, a zat, and several grenades before standing with a frown. "I don't want to weigh myself down with unnecessary equipment, but…" She looked over at Mara with troubled eyes. "I also don't want to leave the rest of our weapons here. Plus, if there's a chance we can return to the others with all our weapons…" The major trailed off, but for all the fact that Mara seemed to be lacking in the common sense department, she easily caught on to Carter's meaning.

"Yeah, yeah. I get your point, hang on a second." Mara growled irritably. Crouching down besides the large pile of weapons, Mara grabbed a zat of her own and several more grenades, stowing them away on her person before looking down at what remained. Rolling her eyes, the demon sighed before picking up the remaining zats and stowing them behind her back.

Where they disappeared into thin air.

Sam blinked startled eyes, pulling back slightly and wondering if she was hallucinating. When Mara did the same thing with the remaining guns, grenades, and staff weapon, Cater shook her head in disbelief, a bemused smile on her face. "You're going to have to teach me how you did that, some day." She said, gazing down at Mara with a raised golden brow.

Mara's response was a grunt, before she pushed herself onto her feet once more. Brushing off imaginary dirt, she said, "of course. Then we can all call you Houdini the second." Giving herself a once over, she looked over at her partner. "Are you ready, then?"

Sam nodded, before looking over her shoulder at Hild and her three goa'uld, whose very names Sam had yet to discover. Still floating in the air, Hild waved at them. "Have fun, you two!" The child crowed, casting a sparkling smile Carter's way.

Sam frowned, a wave of suspicion washing over her, before turning and heading for the double doors that led to freedom, Mara falling in place behind her. As the duo approached, the doors opened with a _swoosh_, and Sam pushed her suspicions aside for a brief moment. Whatever it was, she was armed, and with a zat in hand and a demon at her back, it felt like there was nothing she couldn't take on.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Sam paused, a foot hovering in the air outside the door frame. She glanced over her shoulder, past Mara, who's head was also turned towards Hild.

The child hadn't moved from her spot, but something in her disposition had changed. And not in a good way.

"Keep this in mind, Samantha. The little conversation we had today is purely confidential. Any memories of what we have spoken of _will_ be sealed if you so much _consider_ speaking of it to anyone outside this chamber. Is that understood?" Even from this distance, Sam could see the unholy hostility that glittered from the child's violet eyes, and she repressed a shudder.

"Yes. I understand." She said, taking Hild's words to heart and silently going over their meaning. She couldn't tell Jack of what she'd learned. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Hild nodded, and all at once the volatile look on her face died out, replaced with an innocent child once more. "Very good."

Sam nodded once more, before slowly turning and walking out the chamber, Mara trailing after her like a silent shadow and the two doors closing with a _hiss_ behind them.

The major and the demon gone, Hild descended to the ground, her feet touching the floor soundlessly and a thoughtful expression on her youthful face. "Colonel Jack O'Neil, eh?" She asked aloud, crossing her arms over her chest and a small smirk playing across her features. "Looks like things are about to get interesting around here, if I do say so myself."

"Lady Daimakaicho."

Hild turned to the voice. The oldest of the goa'uld siblings stood several feet in front of her, delicate hands curled into fists. Behind her, her sisters stood on either side, their expressions ranging from dancing rage to fear to curiosity. Again, the oldest, and therefore, leader of the group, spoke. "Why did you allow them to leave?"

Hild's smirk turned malicious, and she walked over to the trio at an easy gait, her hands crossed behind her head. She pinned the black haired woman with an amused look. "I have my reasons." She said, the venom in her voice showing her true feelings. "None of which concern you or your sisters, Urd-chan."

The woman flinched at the tone, blue eyes wincing at the title for which Hild addressed her. The youngest rested a comforting hand on her siblings shoulder, drawing Hild's attention to her. "But you cannot honestly expect us to allow two prisoners, even one who is a servant to you, wander freely amongst our ship, do you?" Hazel eyes sparkled viciously, and Hild couldn't help but grin. Such a lust for violence, and in a host so young, too. It filled her with glee.

"You're right, Little Skuld." An ironic name that drove the goa'uld, who's host was anything _but_ little, insane. "Surely, in a ship so large, Maa-chan and Little Samantha will no doubt get themselves lost." She turned her gaze to the middle sister, the only one who hadn't said so much as a single word since Sam and Mara's departure. "Verdandi, I think they've gotten enough of a head start, why don't you send some of your jaffa out to play with them?"

The woman smiled thinly, brown eyes dancing maliciously as she nodded, sending blonde hair several shades lighter then Skuld's bouncing. "Of course, Lady Daimakaicho." She cooed, moving over to a switch in one of the thrones and toggling it, and snarling something in goa'uld.

Hild nodded in approval. "Very good. Perhaps there's hope for you three yet." She said. "Now you'll have to excuse me. There is something that I need to take care of." A twirl of magic swirled around her small frame, developing into a whirlwind. As the wind faded, so too did Hild, leaving nothing but her parting thoughts behind.

_I want to see just who this 'Jack O'Neil' is. There must be a reason he appeared in Nidhogg's database without me knowing, and I intend to find out just what that is._

~*~

Somewhere, on a higher dimensional plane, a tall woman with dark skin and platinum hair paused in her work, an elegant pen hovering millimeters over a slip of paper. Violet eyes narrowed, and the woman calmly set the pen down, reaching over instead to pick up the black phone on her desk. Bringing the set to her face, she spoke into it, her voice fierce and delicate all at once. "Shikome, get me everything you can find on the mortal Colonel Jack O'Neil." She snarled, her tone leaving no place for disobedience or argument. That done, she slammed the receiver down on the desk once more, crossing her fingers in front of her face, violet eyes glaring. "Jack O'Neil, indeed…" Hild murmured.

~*~

A/N: And there you have it. After nine chapters, the plot is finally starting to go somewhere, and you all finally get an idea of just who the goa'uld sisters are. Hope you all enjoyed it, and we'll get back to seeing what the boys are doing in the next chapter.


	10. Cell Mates

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"…and that leads us to how we all got here." Jack finished, taking a moment to shift into a more comfortable position that didn't leave his butt numb before glancing back at Bra'tac. The elderly man sat in front of him in something of a troubled silence, his face an expressionless mask that gave nothing away. Next to Jack, Daniel shifted uneasily, perhaps picking up on the old jaffa's vibe.

Not much had happened since the group of jaffa had come and taken Sam and Mara from the cell. Not even a single jaffa had made an appearance since the two woman's departure, and it was almost unnerving being left alone for so long with out even a passing jaffa to pester in Jack's time in the cell. Teal'c was the only one who seemed to remained unperturbed, having not so much as twitched since taking watch for returning Jaffa.

"Is any of this starting to making sense?"

Jack had asked this question several times already. It seemed that Bra'tac's idea of what a demon was versus the real thing was highly contrasting, and the old elder had stubbornly refused to believe half of the story Jack had told him, even with Daniel and Teal'c there to validate his tale.

The old jaffa's face twisted into a scowl, and Jack let out an exaggerated sigh, his head falling back against the annoying yellow wall with a soft 'thunk'. Looks like this time was no different.

"I still do not believe that the one you refer to as 'Mara' is in fact a demon, Colonel O'Neil."

Resisting the sudden urge to strangle Bra'tac, (after all, the man was still an ally. Besides, what good would it do to strangle an alien who had a snake that would heal any wounds? If he was going to hurt someone, Jack wanted it to last. Huh. Perhaps he really _was_ qualified for a demon's contract, after all.) Jack took a deep breath, looking over at Daniel for help.

"Daniel? You want to help me out here? I don't know how else to explain it to him."

Apparently, the definition of a 'demon' was somewhat different to jaffa then it was to humans, even when both races had come face to face with a real one.

"Ah…well, you see…" With Bra'tac's attention suddenly on him, Daniel fought to come up with the words that might help explain Mara's nature. It didn't help that SG-1 had had experience with people with otherworldly abilities in the past, most of which traveled down the grape vine to numerous allies and enemies across the galaxy.

_In a sense, I suppose it's only reasonable he doubts us._ The blue eyed archeologist thought gloomily. _Considering some of the things he's probably heard about us, Bra'tac must think Mara is nothing more then some sort of alien or mutant or something similar. It doesn't matter to him that Mara's origins are from Earth, and not some distant planet._

With these thoughts in mind, Daniel continued. "Abydos and Earth are…similar in the fact that they both have demons, Bra'tac. I suppose it just seems to vary on the form they take. She may not look it, but Mara is capable of at least some sort of…" The man paused, hands waving in odd gestures as he fought to come up with the right term. "…abilities that no other human on Earth should be able to do."

The disbelieving look didn't fade from the old master's face. "Then she is a…how do you say….mutant? A mutant, not a demon."

Jack threw his hands in the air, bringing both the archeologist and the jaffa master's attention to him. "Ah for crying out loud! She isn't some X-Men reject, Bra'tac! She popped out of a damned CD, tore my living room to shreds, knew who and what I was at first glance, and some how got into a top secret military base that already has a long waiting line for entry, with no questions or background checks or _anything_, and then got herself placed on my team! Alien? Fine, maybe. I might be able to believe that with the whole 'sneak into base' thing. Mutant? Sure! Shooting laser balls around my living room is acceptable, then. But all that on top of everything else? Bra'tac, I may not be a superstitious man, but even _I_ can tell when something is supernatural instead of extraterrestrial. And Lt. Marla Jotun is one of them."

His rant done, the silver haired colonel crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back once more with a deep scowl on his features, brown eyes glinting with irritation.

Bra'tac's expression became thoughtful, and for a second, the two Tau'ri locked in the cell grew hopeful, wondering if perhaps something in Jack's rant had broken through the jaffa's stubborn head. And then….

"Colonel O'Neil, what is this 'X-Men' you speak of?"

There was something that sounded suspiciously like a strangled laugh from Daniel's direction, and Jack sent a heated glare the brown haired man's way. The archeologist covered his mouth with both hands, but the laughter that glittered in his friends azure eyes didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

The brown eyed man sighed, letting his head thump once more against the glaring yellow wall. Maybe if he banged his head enough, he could cause some sort of brain damage or something that would allow Jack to escape the stupid questions being asked. At least until Carter and Mara got back, and he was dragged off to a torture session or something. Usually that meant a sarcophagus in the end. They could heal him up all gung ho, torture him again, and by the time he returned, Bra'tac could have his fill with Mara herself.

Now he remembered why he left all the talking to Daniel.

"…Ask Teal'c about 'em." Jack muttered dryly, his mood continuing to sour as the jaffa in question cast the colonel a sharp look, as if to say, _you dare include me in your problem?_ before returning his gaze once more to the hallway outside the bars.

Sensing that Jack had suddenly lost interest in any and all forms of communication that involved vocal cords, the occupants of the cell lapsed into silence, loosing themselves to their thoughts as they waited for the return of Carter and Mara. After several minutes of the uncomfortable silence, Daniel spoke up. "It sure is taking them a while, isn't it?" He asked, his voice soft as he shifted his position, glancing out through the bars with a small, concerned frown on his face. "Think they're alright?"

Jack grunted. "I'm sure they're about as fine as anyone can be, giving their situation." He grumbled. "I just want to know if we'll be seeing them any time soon." The colonel was more anxious then he let on. It didn't help that there weren't any guards this time around. At least under normal circumstances, there was a patrol or two of guards that passed every now and then that Jack could pester to his heart's content. But this time, without any enemy jaffa, he had few other options aside from bugging his comrades to really release any tension. And somehow, Jack got the feeling that the action would not be appreciated.

His arms crossed over his broad chest and his stance as intimidating as possible to those who would glance in at him, Teal'c suddenly tensed. "Colonel O'Neil, someone is approaching."

Both Jack and Daniel perked up at the utterance, and both men moved to stand, Bra'tac following suit silently a heartbeat later. The colonel moved to Teal'c's side, looking through the bars and down either side of the hallway. Nothing was in sight.

"Teal'c, what are you-" Jack paused mid sentence, his eyes narrowing slightly as he heard the faint sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. Slowly, almost agonizingly so, it grew louder, and two people rounded a corner.

Daniel, whose gaze was blocked by Teal'c and Jack, stood on his toes in the hopes of catching a glance at whoever was approaching. "Jack? Who is it? What do you see? Is it Sam and Mara?"

Jack remained silent for a few seconds longer before speaking up. "No. It isn't." He growled, his hands clenching into tight fists once more. For a brief second, Daniel grew worried that the man might try to punch the beams of energy holding them within in his frustration, but instead the colonel turned, an expression that couldn't seem to decide on whether it was a scowl or a frown on his face. "No, it's some jaffa…and a kid…"

His voice was troubled as Jack moved past Daniel, returning to his wall and leaning up against it, his arms crossed over his chest once more.

Daniel blinked, blue eyes startled as he looked from Jack to the bars before returning his gaze to Jack. "A kid? You mean like a child?"

Jack sent him a look. "No Daniel. A kid as in a young goat." He said sarcastically. "Of _course_ a child!"

The footfall was now easily audible now, and the group of four turned their attention to the outside hallway once more.

"What's a kid doing in a Ha'tac?"

"Something tells me we're about to find out."

Jack's words seemed to hang in the air ominously as the remaining members of SG-1 waited for the jaffa and child in question to appear. And soon enough, the duo did come into view, a gauntleted hand wrapped tightly, perhaps painfully even, around the slim arm of the child the jaffa led.

Jack wasn't sure if he was surprised or not when the two came to a halt in front of their cell, rather then continuing past and further down the hall. _What, does this ship only have one prison cell?_ Was what he wanted to say, but for some reason, Jack found himself holding back.

Perhaps he didn't want to scare the little girl in front of him any more then necessary. The child was young-perhaps six or seven in age, though Jack had never been one for judging based on appearances-and looked more then a little scared. Her looks were…unusual, to say the least, bordering on exotic with her dark skin and bright-was it white?-hair. Large violet eyes darted in a frenzied, panicked manner, and the child squirmed under Jack's gaze, as though trying to avoid his stare. Every now and then, she tugged at her captive arm, perhaps hoping that in the ten seconds since her last pull, the jaffa would have lightened his grip around her enough that she might escape.

In the hand that was currently free from gripping a child, the jaffa wielded a zat, and he now pointed it at both Teal'c and Daniel, a silent order for both men to move away from the bars of the cell. They did as bid, and the bars dissipated just long enough for the armored man to shove, practically throw, the little girl inside before reappearing once more.

The child knocked into Daniel, and the archeologist, being the man he was, gently placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, steadying the small child and automatically going about trying to calm her down. "Hey…hey…it's alright, calm down now. No one here is going to hurt you…" He soothed.

Jack straightened from where he was leaned up against the wall, his face darkening into a frightening scowl. His arms dropped to his sides, and the man marched past Daniel and the newest resident and to the bars on the cell, murder in his eyes as he glared at the jaffa on the other side. "What the hell is your problem!?" He snarled. "What'd the kid do that you'd lock her up for? And where the hell are Carter and Jotun?" He roared, earning himself nothing more then a small, terrified cry from the oddly dressed girl in Daniel's arms.

Ignoring Daniel's coos as the archeologist fought to calm the little girl down, Jack glared sourly at the jaffa. The armored man didn't respond, his eyes not even _focusing_ on Jack before moving to turn. It only seemed to further enrage Jack. "Hey…hey! I'm talking to you! Get your ass back here you maggot-ridden, festering piece of sh-"

"_Jack."_

Jack's mouth slammed shut with an audible 'click' as Daniel's upset voice greeted his ears, settling instead for glowering at the retreating figure of the jaffa's back. "What…the hell…is wrong with the jaffa in this ship!?" He hissed, hearing Teal'c's low rumble of agreement somewhere behind him. Was he the only one to notice how that guy's eyes seemed to be glazed over? It was like the man hadn't even been aware of what he was doing, like he was in a trance, or under…a…spell…

Jack paused in his musings, slowly turning to regard SG-1's newest companion with suspicious brown eyes. The dark skinned child gazed back with innocent violet eyes, wet with tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. At his stare, the little girl flinched, and a whimper escaped her throat.

No…some how Jack doubted that the child cowering fearfully in Daniel's arms was a demon. The small amount of experience with Mara was making him paranoid.

"Jack!"

Once again, Daniel's voice pulled the silver haired colonel from his thoughts, and brown eyes blinked as a pair of angry blue eyes met his. "What?"

"Stop with the 'Scary Colonel' face. You're scaring her." As if to prove his point, the little girl whimpered again, before turning, wrapping her arms around Daniel's neck, (the man was kneeling. When had that happen?) and burying her face into the collar of his jacket.

Another point for 'Lady Killer' Jackson. Was no woman resistant to his charm?

Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, Jack sighed, running a hand through his own white hair. "Right, right. Sorry about that." He muttered. Time to put on a happy face for kiddo. Taking a deep breath, Jack closed his eyes, releasing the breath in a sigh and shoving his anger off to one side. Planting a smile on his face, brown eyes opened once more, and Jack squatted down, knees popping in protest. He ignored them.

He looked over at Daniel, who, aside from looking a little disgruntled from the child suddenly flinging herself onto him, looked back with curiosity. "So, who is she?" Jack asked, a small part of him taking note of Teal'c at his back and Bra'tac off to one side, both jaffa giving the two men and child space, perhaps in the hopes of easing off some of the little girl's fear.

Daniel gave a half shrug. "I don't know. I haven't asked her yet." He responded, gently grasping the arms around his neck and prying the wild haired child off his neck. "You're alright, calm down….Jack's a friend…a _scary_ friend at times," he glared at Jack, as though daring the colonel to say otherwise. "But a friend none the less." He gave the child a reassuring smile, who returned it with a wavering one of her own. "So, what's your name?"

The little girl rubbed her eyes, sniffing somewhat as she slowly grew a little more at ease in her new environment. "H-hild…." She stuttered, a trace of an almost unnoticeable accent in her voice. It was a little surprising that she had responded to him. The child was the first person on the ship to show any signs of understanding English.

"Hild?" Brown eyebrows rose in surprise, and Jack sent his friend a look.

"What? Something wrong with the name?"

Daniel blinked, taking in the raised eyebrows from both Teal'c and Jack, and the uncomfortable look on the child-Hild's face, as though she believed herself to have said something wrong. Quickly, the blue eyed man shook his head. "Ah, nothing is wrong with it. I just found it somewhat surprising." The archeologist looked from Hild to Jack. "You see, Hild is Norse in origin-er…that is to say, _Hildr_ is Norse."

Jack's brows furrowed together. "What, you mean like Thor and his buddies? He glanced down at the small child next to him, the little girl staring back with wide, unnerving violet eyes. He looked back at Daniel, a small frown on his face. "Is that something we should be worried about?"

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure." He said. "I just happened to come across the name in my research over Mara. From what I recall, Hildr was a Valkyrie. Her very name meant 'battle'." Jack's stare became curious, and it quickly multiplied as Teal'c and Hild turned to regard him as well. "Of course, it could all be a simple coincidence. Perhaps Hild is from one of the planets under the Asgard's protection."

Jack's expression became thoughtful. "In which case, we're left to wonder what a Goa'uld would be doing kidnapping kids off one of Thor's planets." He looked once more at the dark skinned child, planting a large, if somewhat strained, smile on his face. "Heyy….'Thor' wouldn't happen to ring any bells in that pretty little head of yours by any chance, would it?" He asked, keeping his tone of voice as open and friendly as possible. The last thing he needed to do was scare the kid any more. After all, Daniel had just calmed her down, and Jack would be damned if he spent the rest of his stay in the cell with a little girl screaming her ears off at him.

Too bad the colonel didn't notice how close to 'damned' he already was.

Hild tilted her head to one side in thought, bringing a finger to her lip to add to the affect. Well, it seemed that Mara's bunch certainly were a lively group, if anything else. A Valkyrie? _Her?_ It was all she could do not to break down into a hysterical fit of laughter right then and there when the man with the glasses-Daniel, if she'd heard correctly-had gone into his brief little history lesson.

He must have been an anthropologist, or perhaps an archeologist. _Oh_ how she loved those types. It was always so cute, the things they came up with looking at a bunch of old stones. Tall Dark and Silent standing near him was something else too. A jaffa? Dealing with demons? Did miracles never cease? And then there was the Old Man off to one side as well, but one look at his scowling face and wardrobe was enough for Hild to realize that the older jaffa was only along with this group for the ride.

She turned her attention once more to the silver haired colonel in front of her. "He sounds….kind of familiar…." She said, scrunching her face in a tight frown, as though she was trying to recall the name with all her might. While it would be fun to stir up some chaos between several alien races, Hild had not come to the cell with such a purpose in mind.

Rather, she'd come to examine the one Mara had made a deal with. And she had to admit, whether Jack O'Neil was in Nidhogg's database or not, Hild liked what she saw.

The man was a warrior, plain and simple. It was obvious in every move he made, every word he spoke. Even when Jack was trying hard to make what he mistook for a child feel at ease, Hild could sense the violent aura that radiated from within. _The Colonel_, Jack would call it-the beast that instinctively took over in dire situations. It made Hild all warm and fuzzy inside whenever she looked at him. Another time, another place, Jack would have made a wonderful little minion on the mortal plane.

But, such was life, and as Jack looked over to Daniel with something of a concerned frown, Hild hid her grin.

The two humans shared a look with each other, before turning their attention once more to the child. "Do you know what you're doing here?" Daniel asked. The odd haired child simply shook her head, biting her lip and looking up at the vision impaired man with scared indigo eyes. "Hmm…"

Jack shifted his position somewhat, moving away from Hild and closer to Daniel. Wrapping a friendly arm around the archeologists shoulders, the colonel lead Daniel a small distance away from the little girl, trusting Teal'c or Bra'tac to keep an eye on the child. "Maybe she's a future host?" He whispered, glancing over his shoulder at the kid, who was now openly staring a Teal'c with large, fascinated eyes. Huh. Not five minutes ago, the kid looked like she was going to die of fright. Gotta love the way kids can adapt to change…

Daniel shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure Jack. I mean, if she really is from one of the protected planets, why would a Goa'uld go through all the trouble of getting her? Wouldn't it be just as easy to go to one of the 'unprotected' planets and grab a host?" He asked. "And even then, why someone so young? Granted, her feature are rather…" He paused, risking a glance back at the child before turning once more to Jack. "…unique, and I guess I can understand the appeal for someone like that, knowing how vain the goa'uld can be, but still…" He trailed off, brows furrowing together in an expression that mirrored Jack's own.

The colonel nodded, sharing his own theories with his younger friend. "Yeah, I hear you. You've got a point there. Hell, for all we know, she could be a freaking mutant or something." It would be just their luck too. First a demon, next a mutant. What else could SG-1 add to their little group?

Jack sucked in a deep breath, letting it out in a stressed sigh. Running a hand through his short hair, he said, "Damn it all. This is only bringing up more questions. We aren't making any progress at all." His arm fell from Daniel's shoulders, and the soldier turned to glare at the humming bars of the cell. "And where the hell are Carter and Jotun?"

The man was tired of waiting around for his other team mates to show up. He was tired of being stuck in a cell, and coming up with more questions the things that seemed to have no answers. He was tired of strange jaffa and mysterious goa'ulds and demons that wouldn't listen to his advice. He wanted them back, safe and sound, and he wanted to get the hell out of the cell. He wanted to go home to an unbugged house, grab a nice, cold beer, and sit down on his couch with a good hockey game playing out in front of him on his TV.

He'd get his wish soon enough.

~*~

At least, as soon as Carter and Jotun found their way back to the cell Jack and the others were located in.

"Damn it all to the ninth layer of hell, another cross section. Which way do we go?"

"We went left last time. Let's keep going straight this time."

"What? Screw that. I distinctly remember taking several lefts and rights going to that stupid chamber. I say we take a right."

"Yes, because you can remember every turn we made while I was knocked out. If we keep making turns, we're going to wind up going in circles."

"Eh, wouldn't make that much a difference. We're already beyond lost in this hell hole."

"Yes, but at least that way, we wouldn't accidentally run into any jaffa that those goa'ulds no doubt sent after us."

The bantering between the two women continued as Carter and Mara ran down another corridor, Sam in the lead and Mara close on her heels as the human and demon fought to recall which way they had come from. It was not going well, to say the least.

"Son of a…don't these ships have maps? You know, like the kind you'd find in a mall? Those helpful little post up maps that say 'you are here' and all that?"

Sam glared back at her companion. The input was _not_ helping the situation. "No, I don't believe they do. The closest thing a Ha'tac might have to a map would be located in the control room, and considering how heavily guarded _that_ place will be with two prisoners running amok, I don't think we want to go there." Another crossway, and, acting on a whim, the short haired major darted down the right hallway, Mara continuing forward for a brief moment before registering the change in direction and shifting to chase after Sam.

"Damn it! Warn a girl when you're going to change direction like that!" Mara's complaint went virtually ignored by Sam, the major too busy focusing on the corridors and who might just be waiting around that next corner rather then bother coming up with a retort to throw back at the demon.

And it was probably a good thing the blue eyed woman was keeping her attention elsewhere too. For as the short haired blonde disappeared around another corner, there was a surprised yelp, and before Mara could turn down the corner to see what had caused Sam's small outcry, the major reappeared around the same corner, almost running into the demon. "Not that way!" Sam cried, running past Mara with a new burst of speed that left the blonde demon gaping in confusion.

"Wha-"

"Jaffa, Kree!"

"Oh. Never mind then." Deciding it was probably in her best interest to follow after the shorter major, Mara wheeled around and ran the other way, just as a group of five jaffa rounded the corner Sam had gone down not even five seconds ago. Staff blasts chased after the curly haired woman, and Mara put on an extra burst of speed, quickly catching up with Sam just as the astrophysicist rounded another corner, disappearing from sight.

As Mara turned down the same hallway, Sam looked back at her, the woman's face stressed. "We don't have time for this. We need to find the others before we're overwhelmed!" She snarled, activating her zat and sending the demon in her company a look that clearly stated Mara should do the same.

The demon slowed her pace, grabbing the alien weapon from where it rested on her person and fiddling with the object as she fought to figure out how to activate it. The weapon popped into it's more 'active' state, and Mara looked up, a victorious grin on her face. Just in time to see Sam, a look of alarm on her face, rush towards her and tackle the demon to the ground.

A staff blast whizzed through the space Mara's head had been just seconds ago, and dazed, the demon barely registered Sam's screaming in her ears.

"…ot! Are you trying to get you head blown off? Don't stop in the middle of an open hallway with no shelter when jaffa are firing at you!" The major dragged Mara to her feet, her hand wrapped tightly around one of Mara's wrists as she half-led, half-dragged the demon behind another corner. Using the corner's angle for cover, the blue eyed woman released her grip on Mara, focusing all of her attention to the opposing jaffa.

Firing several rounds into the crowd, Sam let a small part of her mind wander. She was not in the best of moods. But then, when one suddenly found herself wandering lost through a ship the size of a small town, with nothing but a demon for a companion, Sam suspected that her mood was reasonable. She also now had a small understanding of why Jack couldn't stand looking out after the civilian scientists who occasionally joined them on missions. It was more then a little frustrating dealing with a person-even a person who was, in fact, a demon-who didn't seem to have enough common sense to know that stopping for whatever reason, be it to activate a weapon or something else entirely, while being chased by enemy units was a _very_ bad idea.

If-_when-_she got through this, Sam would never be able to look at another civilian employed by the SGC the same way again. But then again…maybe being around a demon simply brought out the worst in her. Bah, whatever the reason, at least she could take out her aggression on the jaffa in front of her. She'd already downed two of the original five, and if Sam had any say in the matter, the other three wouldn't be far behind them.

Another jaffa dropped, and Sam risked a glance to Mara, who was kneeling behind the major, zat in hand and a look of heavy concentration on her face as she carefully took aim at the enemy. _Well, at the very least, I now know she can fire a zat._ Sam thought to herself, briefly recalling Bra'tac's unhappy rant about Mara's aim with a gun. _We'll just have to make sure she sticks to the weapons with less kick from now on. At least until we can get some sort of training into her._

Another jaffa dropped, and Sam finished off the last of the five. The two women paused, allowing themselves a moment to simply catch their breaths as the last of the electrical energy from the zat faded from the fallen men. Then Sam sighed, straightening from her somewhat crouched position. Looking over at Mara with sharp blue eyes she said, "Come on, lets go. I'd rather be long gone before any other groups come across this bunch." She turned, glancing down each of the adjoining hallways before choosing a direction and heading down it.

"Hold on for a second."

The major paused, looking over her shoulder at Mara, who, now standing, was gazing intently at the five fallen men. A wave of weariness swept through the blue eyed woman, and Sam frowned. "Why? What is it?"

Mara glanced over at her, the demon's own face lined with a strange, curious expression. "I want to try something." She murmured, waving the major over to her side before approaching one of the unconscious men.

The weariness grew into a sharp sense of foreboding, but none the less Sam moved to the demon's side, the frown deepening as she watched Mara crouch down beside one of the jaffa. "What are you going to do?" She asked, her voice suspicious and guarded as she regarded the demon at her side.

One blood red eye turned to look up at her. "I want to try and enter this guy's subconscious." She said. "If I can get into his mind, I might be able to 'download', in a sense, a map of this place. This guy must know the structure of this ship like the back of his hand, him being a jaffa and all that." The demon chucked a thumb in the man's direction. "It'd make things a hell of a lot easier on us. We could find the others and get off this blasted ship that way."

Sam's brows furrowed together, her sapphire eyes shifting between the demon and jaffa in thought. "I heard an 'if' in there." The officer said after a moment of silence. "What does that mean?" Despite any misgivings she had towards the jaffa and his team, Sam wasn't sure she wanted the armored man to suffer from a demon rummaging around in his brain. The sudden, uncomfortable look that appeared on Mara's face didn't help her conviction much either.

"Uh, well…you see…I've…never really tried anything like this before." Mara explained, studying the floor as though it were the suddenly the most interesting thing in the world, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"What?" Sam's voice held a sharp edge to it, and her expression was stony as she glared at the demon.

The demon cringed at the look. "Um…"

As a demon holding a first-class license, Mara's abilities were vast and powerful. One such power at her disposal was the ability to manipulate the subconscious with nightmares. It was something of a unique trait, allowing the demon in question to influence the victim somewhat. When unconscious, Mara could easily access the vitim's mind, and while the power was mainly used to withdraw information on what the person feared most and use it against them in the form of a nightmarish beast, it could, technically, be used for other things.

Key word being 'technically'.

Mara had never before thought to use the ability for anything other then its original purpose. It was impossible to tell the consequences of using such a power to forcibly extract the information Mara needed on the jaffa in question. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and as long as she got the information required, Mara couldn't give a damn about what might happen to the unfortunate man at her feet.

That's not to say that Sam shared the demon's perspective.

"Would you quit with the look?" Mara finally exclaimed after failing to come up with a proper explanation. "Why do you even _care_? He's you're enemy-if you'd been using that gun of yours, he'd already be dead by now." If anything, Sam's stony glare increased at her words, and Mara quickly looked away. "Fine. If I promise not to hurt him, will you get off my back? I swear, you humans and your damned consciouses." She muttered in disgust. "You're all as bad as those damned goddesses…" The demon trailed off, looking up at Sam once more. "Well?" She demanded. "We don't have all day here, _Ma'am_." She growled out.

Sam's expression darkened momentarily at the tone with which Mara addressed her by. Shifting her weight uneasily from one foot to the other, the major's gaze traveled from Mara to the jaffa, then to the various corridors and hallways. And while she knew she could easily spend all day arguing about the value of one person's life to the demon, Sam knew that in one respect, Mara was right. They were pressed for time. They needed leave and find the others before any more jaffa stumbled across them.

Sam grit her teeth, a small part of her hating herself for the decision that she was about to make. This was just as bad as that stupid 'possession' stunt from earlier. "…Fine…" She growled, the grip on her zat white knuckled. "So long as you don't maim him or anything like that…just…hurry it up." The major looked away, fuming and refusing to watch and see just what it was Mara was about to do to the poor man.

She silently vowed to get herself piss drunk upon returning home.

~*~

A/N: Damn…it feels like this chapter took longer then necessary to produce. Sorry about that. All I can say in my defense is that I recently bought a copy of Persona 4 for PS2, and have promptly fallen in love with the game. As to be expected, me being the Megaten fan I am. So, yeah. Once again, sorry about that. The next chapter should be when our blonde bombshells reunite with the boys and Hild.

Anyways, ten chapters….Holy mother of cow. I never would have expected this story to go on so far. Special thanks go out to Paladin13, VisualIdentificationZeta, and Latios151. Thanks guys. You're encouraging words really helped inspire me to keep going.


	11. Reunion

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Sam shifted her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. Anxiously, the short haired woman glanced down the hallway, only to return her gaze once more to the kneeling demon in front of her when there was no sign of any pursuers. The major felt exposed standing in the middle of the hallway and she bit back an impatient growl.

It had been five minutes since Mara had knelt down besides one of the unconscious men. Her left hand resting in between the jaffa's brows and her eyes closed, the demon hadn't so much as twitched since kneeling down next to him. Did it always take so long for a demon to extract information from a mortal?

Carter wasn't sure. Blue eyes shifted from the kneeling woman in front of her to the rest of the jaffa lying at her feet. Five minutes was more the enough time for the stun of a zat to wear off, and while Sam had yet to see any signs of the other four men coming out of their daze, she wasn't about to let them get the jump on either her or Mara. Her hand rested on the trigger of her zat, finger almost _itching_ to squeeze it.

The woman frowned at the feeling, turning away from the group to glance down the hallways once more. She'd been feeling…jittery? Anxious? _Volatile_? Since awakening in the goa'uld's throne room with Mara. And for the life of her, Sam couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was from being around a demon for so long…

Her ears perked up at the dull echo of footsteps steadily making their way in her direction. The major frowned, risking one last glance down at the jaffa and demon at her feet before shifting her attention towards the owner of the footsteps. The sound was coming from one of the adjacent hallways, and Carter quickly made her way to one of the corners, footfalls soft and mute.

Pressed against the wall, Sam peeked around the corner, biting back a heated curse as sapphire eyes came to rest upon another troop of jaffa slowly making their way towards her. Crap. This wasn't good. Another glance towards Mara and the other jaffa showed no progress on either parts, and Carter resisted the sudden urge to beat her head against the wall in frustration.

The obvious choice would be to put some distance between herself and the advancing jaffa-disappear around some more hallways before they reached her current position and noticed not only her, but the five unconscious jaffa snoozing in the corridor-but she couldn't exactly _leave_ the oblivious Mara to such a harsh fate.

That would just be cruel.

"I guess this means I get to be the one to buy us some time." Carter muttered dispassionately, toying with the zat in her hands unenthusiastically.

The major took a deep breath, calming jittery nerves and readjusting the grip on her weapon, listening to the ever louder sound of marching jaffa. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have the colonel and the others at her back right about now. But some things couldn't be help, and so Carter squared her shoulders and, ears open and eyes alert, popped around the corner, firing several shots from her zat into the surprised group of jaffa.

Shouts and cries greeted her ears as the electrical pulses assaulted the small group-this one a smaller pack of three in comparison to the unconscious five at her back-and quickly she darted back around the corner as the men regained their senses and fired back at her. Her expression grim, Sam waited for a lull in the firing before popping back around the corner, firing once more and downing one man before retreating to her corner once more.

The opposing jaffa had taken to following her example and, using the corner of a hallway further down for cover, making it all that more difficult to hit them. But the short haired major had still managed to take one out, and hopefully it would be a long enough deterrent until Mara came out of her strange trance.

Another lull in enemy fire, and Carter whipped around the corner once more. The blue eyed woman got two shots in before someone grabbed her, pulling her back around the corner. In full soldier mode by now, Sam did the first thing that came to her, twirling around and lashing out at the person with the hand holding her zat.

There was a pained grunt, and Mara released a curse that turned Sam's ears red with embarrassment.

"Mara!?" Sam cried, blue eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and relief. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Are you okay?"

Around the corner, the staff weapon fire had died away, and Sam could make out one of the jaffa shouting orders, followed by the pounding of feet. They were advancing once more.

In front of her, the red eyed woman nodded, a grimace on her face as she lightly rubbed the area on her stomach where Sam's punch had hit home. "I'm fine." She growled, apparently none to pleased with being struck by someone who was supposed to be an ally. "Come on, let's go. I've got the info we need."

Saying nothing more, the demon grabbed Carter's free hand, her grip tight around the woman's wrist to the point of being painful. She ignored Carter's yelp, half leading, half dragging the major along behind her, rounding down another hallway just as the jaffa Carter had run into turned the corner.

Stumbling upon their unconscious allies, the men were left to wonder how and why one Tau'ri woman decided to run after taking down five skilled jaffa warriors.

Hallways became little more then a large, ugly yellow blur as the two women raced down the corridors. Left, left, right, skip the next crossway, another left….Sam could barely keep track of the various turns Mara lead her down. But the demon seemed sure of her direction-Carter could sense no hesitation, no doubt in the red eyed woman's pace-so in the end, the major decided it had probably been a good thing to allow Mara access to that jaffa's mind.

And somehow, the knowledge of that acceptance chilled Sam to the bone.

Being tugged none-too-gently behind Mara, racing down so many different chambers and corridors that it left her head spinning, Sam tried not to dwell on the fact that what she had allowed Mara to do had been too…_goa'uldish_ for her liking. It felt like something a goa'uld would do, something the NID would stoop to. Not something a member of a reputable SG team would do.

It certainly didn't feel like something a member of _SG-1_ would do.

The major tried not to dwell on it too much, instead rousing herself from her thoughts and returning her attention to the curly haired demon in front of her. Perhaps sensing the shift in attention, Mara looked over her shoulder at Sam after rounding another corner, a confident smirk on her face displaying her fangs.

"And you thought that had been a bad idea." She cried. "Now look at us. A few more minutes and we'll be back to the cell. We can bust our buddies out, and high tail it out of this hell hole."

Sam returned the smirk with a somewhat forced grin of her own. Well, when she put it that way…The major couldn't deny that she was looking forward to getting off the god awful ship.

Speaking of which… "So what happened to that jaffa back there?" Carter asked, the duo taking a quick left around another corner. "Will he be alright?" The duo ran down another corridor, continuing straight before taking a right down another hallway. Had there really been this many lefts and rights when she and Mara were being lead to the goa'ulds' throne room? It hadn't felt like that much…

Ahead of her, Mara remained silent, something shifting in the fanged demon's disposition, something that did not go unaware by Sam. The major frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in the pit of her stomach. "Mara…" She warned, her expression growing stony as the short haired woman glared at the back of her companion's head.

The duo rounded another corner before Mara came to a sudden halt, leaving Sam to almost collide into the curly haired demon. The fanged woman released her grip around Carter's wrist, and Sam drew it back, gently rubbing the now-tender flesh as she stared expectantly at the taller woman.

Mara turned to regard her with a frown, something Sam didn't recognize flickering deep within the demon's blood red eyes. Carter held her gaze though, refusing to look away from the demon. And then Mara smiled, her grin almost impish and reminding Sam somewhat of the odd little child who'd claimed to be Mara's boss.

"Come on, relax Major. Didn't I promise to you that I wouldn't hurt him?" That odd look behind the demon's eyes vanished, leaving Carter to wonder if she'd imagined it or not. "And like I said when we first met, a demon is as good as her word. The guy's fine." She turned her back to the major. "Now let's go. We're almost there."

It was true that the jaffa in question was unharmed. At least, for the most part. Mara had been forced to enter the man's mind in the form of a nightmare, her form automatically changing to fit the man's innermost fears as she had descended upon his subconscious. The demon wasn't sure what her appearance had changed into-the formation of nightmares not being the true reason she was inside his mind, she wasn't really paying that much attention to her looks-but it hardly seemed to matter. It only took a small amount of time to dig through the man's mindscape before Mara stumbled upon the information she was seeking.

And it was in that section of the jaffa's mind that Mara stumbled upon more evidence of her boss's meddling. In her search, the blonde demon had stumbled upon something of a barrier within the man's mind. It was demonic in origin and easily recognized the crimson eyed woman for what she was, the shields lowering at her orders and allowing her access to the restricted area.

What she found was surprising, to say the least, but so very…_Hild_ that Mara didn't even understand why she was surprised. The section contained little more then memories. However, in comparison to the jaffa who housed them, they felt incredibly out of place. The memories showed themselves to Mara in the form of books-a library, lined with picture books that revealed a time that had long since come to pass-books of a young, intelligent man living his life in a fairly advanced society.

Not of a young jaffa, training day in and day out for the time his 'god' would call upon his services.

It was a common action among demons when granting wishes. If the client was in need of manpower the demon would simply go out and collect some. The origins of the men were of little concern to either party, so long as they did their job. It seemed that Mara's 'victim' had been one of the few to fall into such a category. Which had left the demon to wonder, just how many of the jaffa she'd fought, had filled with bullets, had once been innocent men going about their lives before being kidnapped?

For all Mara knew, the vast majority of the jaffa on the Ha'tak could very well have been men who'd never even _seen_ a jaffa before. Men who had families, friends, _lives_ of their own-all destroyed because of a simple wish and the demon who'd granted it. It was almost pitiful, really. Even if the contract with the three goa'uld's who had custody over the jaffa and his comrades came to an end, chances were that they would never be able to return to the life they once knew ever again. Even if they were to return to their place of origin, the wounds a large percentage of the jaffa had suffered at the hands of SG-1 would no doubt return full force. So while the barrier blocking the jaffa's mind from his true identity would be lifted, so too would the very spell that was now keeping him alive.

He and the many others like him would die a mournfully slow, painful death.

However, such were the ways of demon kind, and with a mental shrug, Mara shoved the thoughts to the farthest reaches of her mind. A demon herself, Mara had long grown jaded to such facts, acknowledging and accepting them as part of her job. In spite of this fact though, while the information didn't affect her, the blood-eyed demon was sure that the same was not true for the woman at her back, or the three men still locked away in a cell that was growing closer with each step she took. And so Mara did as most other demons in her position were inclined to do. She kept her mouth shut.

It would do neither her nor SG-1 any good to reveal such information. It wasn't as though anyone could help the unfortunate men. And the revelation would only bring about useless guilt and regret amongst her teammates-something that in the end, might bring about a member's death. And while such an act might bring Mara one step closer to getting off the cursed team, the demon was not in the profession of killing.

Besides, the death of a client would look bad on her resume.

~*~

Jack paused in his pacing, smoldering brown eyes lifting from the floor and instead moving to stare through the bars of the cell. The colonel had taken to a silent brooding with the newest addition to the cell, taking up watch from Teal'c and allowing the larger man to observe the small child that was Hild with Bra'tac. And now…he'd heard something, and now that he brought his full and complete attention to the world outside his cramped cell, the silver haired colonel realized it was growing closer. Footsteps. Rushed, as though the owner was running. Could it be?

Noticing Jack's sudden attention, Daniel paused in his story. The archeologist had taken it upon himself to try and entertain the team's newest cellmate when it became apparent that the dark skinned child wasn't leaving them any time soon. And so, his mind still fresh with Norse mythology from his research on Mara and bearing in mind the possible origins of Hild, the vision-impaired had swooped into a story of the various Valkyries mentioned in the mythology.

It surprised him somewhat when the child asked for a story of one Valkyrie in particular, a Dis by the name of Skuld, rather then the Valkyrie that was supposedly her namesake. He just couldn't understand what the silver haired child found so entertaining about the tale.

"Jack? What is it?"

The colonel raised a hand in a 'one moment' gesture, shifting his stance somewhat as he fought to get a better look at what was down the hall without accidentally burning or shocking himself on the energy bars of the cell. And then the owners of the feet came into view, and Jack's face broke into a large, relieved grin. He turned back to his cell mates as the owners grew closer, chocolate eyes dancing with joy.

"Looks like Carter and Jotun were able to make a break for it after all." He all but cheered, watching in unveiled amusement as Daniel abandoned his seat in front of Hild in favor of joining Jack. From where he was situated behind Hild, Teal'c followed likewise, rising with the grace of a cat and joining the rest of his team at the bars. The jaffa had grown curious at the story Daniel had been telling, and had joined the archeologist and child in the storytelling, listening in rapt attention as Daniel explained the situation of 'Skuld the Norn' versus 'Skuld the Valkyrie'.

The indigo eyed child looked on in open curiosity, silver brows furrowing together in confusion as she turned to Bra'tac, the only one who had yet to join his comrades in front of the cell. "What's going on?" The little girl asked. "Who are Carter and Jotun?"

The elder jaffa smiled thinly, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Allies, Child. Perhaps we might come up with a means of escape with their return." The old man looked to be lost in his thoughts, despite his easy answer to Hild's questions. Perhaps he was recalling his earlier conversation with Jack and Daniel, before the arrival of Hild. Maybe the old jaffa was wondering if he'd see a display of power from the so-called 'demon' Marla.

"Carter! Jotun! Good to see you guys again." Jack shouted as the women in question came to a sliding halt on the other side of the bars. A smile that looked like it might split his face in half, the colonel asked, "So, did you have a nice tour of the place? Find out any 'mysterious secrets' about our _wonderful_ hosts?"

Outside the bars to the cell, Carter sent him a brief, somewhat strained smile. "It's good to see you too Sir." She said, before moving to the control panel that produced the power to the cell bars. As Sam went about rearranging the crystals in the panel in such a way as to cut the power, Mara, or rather, _Marla_ stood guard, anxiously shifting her weight from one foot to the next. Sam had been quick to remind the demon of Bra'tac, and the demon had quickly been replaced with a Lieutenant once more.

As the bars to the cell dissipated into thin air, Sam took a moment to think up a reply. Recalling the words she'd had with Hild, she looked up from the control panel and over to where Jack and the others were quickly exiting the cell. "Ah…nothing that could do us any good, Sir." She said after a moment's hesitation, a part of her wanting to kick herself for lying to the colonel.

Instead she slipped off the strap holding her P-90 to her shoulder, lightly tossing it to the colonel with a small cry of 'catch'. The older man easily caught the gun, eyes that had narrowed in confusion after catching a small whiff of Carter's hesitation instead lighting up at the prospect of being armed once more. "Ah! I see you managed to grab some souvenirs on your tour. Good job Carter." He crowed, inspecting the weapon thoroughly before clicking off the safety.

Nodding his head in approval, the colonel turned to regard the rest of his team. Daniel and Teal'c had taken to surrounding Mara-_Marla _after greeting Carter and the demon in their own unique ways. The demon in question was currently handing out various weapons, anything ranging from a basic military-issued pistol, which Daniel quickly clipped onto his belt, to a staff weapon Teal'c took with a nod of gratitude.

Jack raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Where had Mar-Jotun taken the time to hide all that stuff? The way she reached behind her back and withdrew yet _another_ staff weapon, this one of which she tossed to Bra'tac, was more then something for Jack to scratch his head over. "Hey Santa, got anything for me?" The colonel called out in a cheerful voice, gaining a scowl from Mara in the process as she glared over at him.

He had to duck the zat that was hurled at his head.

Rightening himself once more as the alien weapon slammed into the wall behind him, Jack through a matching scowl towards the Lieutenant demon. "Watch it Jotun." The silver haired colonel growled. "Throwing things at the higher-ups generally qualifies for insubordination. I could have you court marshaled for that." Of course, the words were little more then an empty threat. Jack somehow doubted getting a full fledged demon off his team would be as easy as a simple court marshal.

Across from him, Mara bared her teeth in a snarl. "Oh really?" She asked. "Would that get me off your team all that much sooner? Because right now, after the crap I've been through, I'd like to be anywhere but here with you." She sneered. Looks like the comparison between the demon and a jolly fat man had struck a nerve somewhere.

Watching the exchange of words from the side lines, Daniel sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose before glancing over at Sam, who had come to stand next to him and was currently shaking her head in disapproval. Just when he'd thought Jack and Mara might actually start to get along, too…

It was childish laughter that caused both the colonel and the demon to pause in their exchange of insults. Six pairs of eyes turned to the source of the giggles, finding Hild to be the owner. The child stood in the entrance of the cell, the zat that had been thrown with such force at Jack's head held lightly in her hands. Gloved fingers danced around the alien weapon, every now and then coming so close to the trigger of the device that it seemed as though the bronze skinned child would set it off. A smile befitting the Cheshire cat was on her face, and violet eyes danced in amusement.

A deafening silence descended upon the group. Three pairs of eyes had frozen at the sight of a child with a weapon, one of the three fearing that Hild might accidentally pull the trigger of the gun, discharging the weapon and perhaps wounding herself or someone close by. Two more pairs of eyes were wide in shock, neither of the pair having expected to return to the group and find that the child they had parted ways with not even fifteen minutes before hand amongst their remaining teammates. And one final pair, that saw naught a demon disguised as a child, fondly laughing at the group that consisted of SG-1, Bra'tac, and a demon with a fist-class license, but rather a young boy, playing with his father's pistol, the barrel aimed at his chest as a finger came down on the trigger…

"Drop the weapon. _Now!_" Jack roared, his voice filled with a fear that wrapped around his heart, daggers of ice embedding themselves within his chest and chilling the man to the bone. The colonel raced towards the girl, his expression a mask of pure, unadulterated terror that caught even Hild off-guard.

Having picked up the zat after Jack and Mara had fallen into their little argument, Hild had casually been playing with it, allowing herself to forget momentarily that the majority of the people surrounding her saw the Daimakaicho as little more then a girl-child. If anything else, it allowed Hild to wreck havoc on the emotions of the Tau'ri-Jaffa mix, knowing she'd find some amusement in their fearful reactions to a child with a gun.

However, Jack's reaction-the sheer amount of horror radiating from him so thick that Hild could actually _see_ it-had not been expected. For all the research being done on the man back in Niflheim, there were still a few thing Hild didn't know about him. Which was why it was…perturbing, to say the least, to hear the man, now if full soldier mode, ordering the Daimakaicho to drop the zat as he raced towards her smaller frame.

Startled, Hild did as ordered, dropping the weapon, where the zat fell to the floor with a hollow clank. Jack came to a halt in front of the silver haired child, quickly kicking the alien gun away from Hild, where it skidded several feet before slamming into a wall. The man kneeled down, placing himself eye level with the disguised demon, his face a mask of fear and anger.

The man wrapped his hands around thins shoulders, the palms clammy with a sweat brought on from fear. Violet eyes blinked quizzically into brown, and Jack took several deep breaths, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart. "Don't…do that again." He said, suddenly at a loss as of what to say to the child whose hair was as white as his own. "That was a weapon, not a toy, Hild. You could have hurt yourself playing with it." He tried to keep his voice steady, less he frighten the little girl, but the colonel could see no fear dwelling within the oddly shaded eyes. Only a simple curiosity, and Jack was suddenly struck with the feeling of conversing with a person far older then she seemed.

And then the feeling disappeared as Hild blinked, her eyes widening at something that might have passed for the absent fear dawning on her face. Mutely she nodded, sending platinum strands of hand on a wild journey across her dark face. _Such a silly little man._ The demon thought. _A small thing like that would never hurt me._ But she had an image to maintain-at least for the moment-and so the demon put on her best frightened face and nodded in agreement, a small part of her thrilled at the violent reaction that had ignited within Jack at the sight of her with a weapon. _This will take some looking into…_

Apparently satisfied that he'd invoked a fear of the mishandling of dangerous weapons in the mind of the small girl he kneeled in front of, Jack rose to his feet, releasing his grip on Hild and lightly patting her shoulder, hoping to reassure the child that he was not, in fact, mad at her. "Good." He grumbled, leaving Hild's side and moving to retrieve the zat he'd kicked off to one side.'sure the child that he was not, in fact, mad at her. "irl he kneeled in front of, Jack rose to his

An uncomfortable silence had descended upon the group upon Jack's half-panicked actions, and as the colonel retrieved his weapon, Mara was the one to break the silence. "If you're done with your little panic attack, I really think we should get going." She said, eyes darting from Hild, who sent her a silent look, to Jack, who frowned at her words. "Seriously, we've wasted enough time already with this little reunion of yours. And I don't know about you, but I'd like to be off this damn ship before anymore jaffa stumble upon us." The demon glanced down both sides of the hallway they stood in self consciously. "The last group didn't seem very pleased with the fact that two prisoners were wandering around without an escort. I'd hate to see how they react to a whole group of us standing outside a cell chatting the day away."

"She's right Jack. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to work out boundaries with Hild later." Daniel's voice rose to join Mara's. "Let's get out of here before someone finds us."

Jack nodded, his gaze traveling from Daniel to Mara and Sam. "You guys wouldn't have happened to pick up a map on the way out, did you?" He asked. "Because if you didn't-"

Mara cut him off. "Yes, we have a map." The demon said impatiently. "Now can we _please_ leave?" Jack noticed that the curly haired woman was practically dancing in her desire to depart.

The colonel raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "And where did you-"

Again the silver haired man was interrupted, this time by his 2IC. "Sir, it really doesn't matter at the moment. The point is, there had been several jaffa behind us when we got here, and there's no telling how long it will be before they catch up to us." Carter said, perhaps catching a hint of Mara's anxiety.

Chocolate-brown eyes blinked. "Ah. I see. Why didn't you say so in the first place?" He asked casually, taking a moment to have his own look down both directions of the hallway before returning his attention to the others. "Well then, what are we doing standing around here for?" He asked, falling into his roll as colonel once more as he checked his weapons once more, making sure they were at the ready should the need arise. "Carter? Jotun? You two have know the layout of this place, right?" The man swept his arm outwards. "Lead the way."

The two women nodded, Jotun taking lead with Carter following a few steps behind. Jack watched them start to walk off a few feet before turning to the others. "Alright Kids. You know the drill. Now let's all hold hands, form a line, and get the hell out of here." He said, his eyes lingering a second longer on Hild before drifting to the others. Catching the gazes of everyone else present, the man smirked, before turning and following after Carter and Mara.

He decided to hold off on questioning the two blondes for a later time. It hadn't escaped his attention the way they both seemed to avoid questioning the presence of Hild in their group.

~*~

It wasn't until the group consisting of SG-1, Bra'tac, and two demons in disguise were near the exit of the ship that the large party ran into trouble. Trouble in the form of a rather large, rather angry pack of jaffa that seemed to outnumber the gang three to one. And Sam wasn't the only one to be surprised to recognize more then one jaffa from the various packs she and Mara had been stuck either with or fighting in the past few hours.

Running into the large pack after rounding a corner, the group came to an almost sliding halt, and Mara's eyes landed on one jaffa in particular. "Hey, don't I know you?" She asked. The jaffa in question, who'd been one of the few to bear witness to 'Tau'ri witchcraft', as he'd so aptly called it, blinked in confusion, before narrowing his eyes.

The man shouted something that might have been an obscurity, had Mara bothered to let her mind translate the words, before aiming his staff weapon at her head. The demon blinked. "…I guess not." She said, before turning and running the opposite direction the group had come from, the others having already retreated at the sight of the larger group and disappearing just as a staff blast impacted against the wall behind her.

It didn't take long to catch up the rest of SG-1. "Who was that, an old ex-boyfriend of yours?" Jack asked in between breaths.

Mara didn't respond to the jab, instead asking, "Why aren't we fighting? We're all armed, and really, that aren't _that _many more of 'them' in comparison to 'us'."

The browned eyed colonel jerked his head to Hild, who was easily keeping pace with Teal'c, despite the man's larger size and greater steps as he ran. "_That's _why." He said. "I don't really want to take the time fight off horde after horde of jaffa in such cramped surroundings, especially when half of my time will be spent keeping an eye on her." The last part came out as a growl, and it was only through years of painful discipline under the Daimakaicho's leadership that Mara didn't burst out into laughter. What, was he worried that the Leader of Hell might get injured in a little crossfire?

An innocent look up at Jack from Hild was more then enough of an answer for Mara. At the youthful, slightly frightened look in Hild's eyes as she looked towards Jack and Mara, the blonde demon almost tripped over her own two feet, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance. Jack, taking notice, risked a glance her way. "Hey, watch it Lieutenant!" He cried. "I'm not stopping if you fall. You're on your own if you get trampled."

Again, Mara didn't respond, mahogany eyes wide with horror as the demon focused on the back of Daniel's brown head. _You mean to tell me he doesn't know!?_ She thought, her eyes traveling to Hild, who looked up at her with a dark, furtive smile. _Idiot, of course he doesn't know. _Mara berated herself. _No sane man would have acted the way Jack did at the sight of the Daimakaicho with a gun._

Wonderful. Somehow Mara got the idea that her life had just gotten all that much harder.

"…un. Mara!"

Jack's irritated voice snapped the demon from her thoughts. "What?" She snapped.

"Get your head in gear, Lieutenant!" Jack snarled. "I'm not going to ask you again. Is there another way out? Preferably one that does not involve us fighting off a horde of angry jaffa?"

The woman blinked in surprise. "Oh…yeah. Yeah, there is." The demon increased her speed, passing Jack and the others and moving to take lead once more. "Come on, this way!" She shouted behind her. "We should be able to circle around and return to those ring thingies this way."

~*~

It wasn't long after that that the group quickly found themselves in the room containing Mara's 'ring thingies'. The detour had been somewhat long, and the team had been forced to take cover and send out their own shots several times at the jaffa chasing them before continuing onwards. The shots that had actually hit the pack of jaffa forced the warriors to retreat a fair distance, allowing SG-1 and their allies to gain and hold a fair amount of distance between the two opposing forces.

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a pair of rings in my life." Jack breathed as they entered the chamber, conveniently empty of any sort of guards. No doubt the head honcho, whoever _that_ was, had made the mistake of sending all his guards after the escaped prisoners, a sign of a Goa'uld who didn't understand a damned thing when it came to tactics.

The doors slid shut as the last of the team entered the room, and Jack turned his attention to Sam. "Alright Carter, you know the drill. Get those rings working while we keep those jaffa busy." The major quickly did as he ordered, trotting over to the control panel located off to one side and punching in various commands.

"Hild, honey, get away from the door." The silver haired man motioned for the pigtailed child to come to his side, and after casting a glance back at the way she and the others had come from, the violet eyed child did as Jack bid, walking to the man's side. "Thank-you." Jack sang out in a sing song voice, resting a hand on Hild's back and gently guiding the girl-demon to an area that would serve as suitable cover, should the jaffa manage to open the door and storm in weapons ablaze.

Fortune seemed to be on their side, however, as Carter's voice rang throughout the room. "Sir, I've got it. Everything is ready. We can leave whenever you want." She called out, how words causing Jack to break out in a relived grin.

"You heard the Major everyone." He called out enthusiastically. "Let's go home."

Various nods and murmurs of agreement met his senses, and the team moved to the center of the room where the transportation rings were located, Sam being the last to join them as she punched in the final commands for the rings. As she joined the somewhat cramped confines of the ring space, the transportation device ascended around then, and with a flash, the large group disappeared from sight.

It wasn't until several minutes later that the horde of jaffa that had been tailing the team for the past ten minutes were able to enter the room. Somewhere, an alien symbol flashed a bright red as the large group entered the room, only to disappear just as quickly. And with the demon's seal working into play, the lead jaffa blinked, shaking his head as if coming out of a daze.

Behind him, the man was unaware of his comrades going through similar actions, some turning to look at each other in confusion. What were they doing there? Had not the First Prime ordered them to patrol the hallways? How had they ended up in the transportation chamber?

Grumbling to one another in confusion, the large group shuffled out of the room, unknowingly leaving SG-1 to a safe retreat back to the stargate and earth, bringing with them not one, but two beings that held the potential for enough chaos and destruction to set all of Earth in the throws of chaos.

~*~

A/N: And yet again we have a chapter that was a pain in the butt to write. Another one of those 'linger forever' and 'throw in something that was never in the outline' chapters. No idea where the bit with Hild and Jack and the flashback to Charlie came from either, by the way. Just...thank the gods its finally over with. No idea how it came out, and right now, I could care less. Enjoy if you want, tolerate if you can't. 'Till next time.


	12. Adaptation

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Teal'c easily ducked under the punch that was aimed for his face, retaliating with a blow of his own. The fist connected with its target, and Mara keeled over, a violent curse escaping her lips as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. The large Jaffa backed up several steps, giving the woman time to recover as he regarded her silently.

He didn't have to wait long. With a grunt, Mara rose once more to her feet, a look that couldn't seem to decide on whether it was a snarl or a grimace on her face. "Son of a _bitch_ you hit hard." She hissed, before coming at the dark man once more, a cry escaping her throat as she charged him.

Teal'c chose not to comment on the demon's choice of words, merely raising an eyebrow before dropping once more into a defensive stance. The blonde came at him again, and, just as he'd done in the last five minutes, Teal'c grabbed her just as Mara was about to land a hit on him, using the woman's momentum to throw the fanged woman over his shoulder. The demon in disguise hit the blue mat with a strangled snarl, enticing more then one sympathetic hiss from the audience that had steadily been growing since the match between alien and demon had begun.

Their audience, a mixture of marines and soldiers who'd all seen or been a part of at least one of Teal'c's 'training sessions', seemed to watch in a strange sort of fascination as, rather then call it quits like many of them had done in that past, the wild-eyed woman instead rolled onto her stomach, pushing herself up to her hands and knees with a groan.

Sitting in front of the crowd, dressed in a small mockery of an SG uniform, a little girl with white haired watched in a joy that bordered terrifying. "Again! Again! Come on, show 'em what you're good for!" The violet-eyed child shouted, pumping a small, dark fist into the air. For the life of the various personnel in the crowd, it was uncertain just who it was Hild was rooting for. All _they_ knew was that the bloodthirsty smile that seemed to be plastered on the little girl's face was more then a little horrifying.

Already it had been a week since SG-1 had stumbled back through the gate, bruised and bewildered and with one additional member to their crew, but otherwise none the worse for wear-a matter that, sadly, more then anything else, surprised more people then it didn't.

It truly is a sad, sad world when your peers are placing bets on whether everyone in your group returns alive or not.

Even sadder when the running bet is between a certain civilian and the newest member to the team.

With a battle cry that would have made any Jaffa proud, Mara launched herself at Teal'c once more, the strange necklace made of what looked like fangs and claws rattling eagerly against her black shirt. The woman feigned at the last possible moment however, surprising Teal'c as she spun off to the taller man's right, throwing a blow that would have made it through, had Teal'c been a lesser trained man.

As it was, the dark man brought up his left arm to fend off the blow, and Mara's fist glanced off it, flying off to the side. It was only the bracelet she wore, a twin to it's necklace sister, that managed to somehow break skin. The Jaffa blinked in surprise at the tear in flesh, watching as a slim line of red began to slowly flow down his to his wrist, before recalling the disguised demon's words.

"_If you're going to train me, then we might as well do it right the first time." Mara said, taking off her BDU's top and throwing it off to one side. Somewhere between her unbuttoning the blouse top and her actual removal of the cloth, a necklace had appeared above her black shirt, matching bracelets on each wrist as she moved to remove her boots. Anklets of a similar variety had appeared with the removal of the heavy footwear as well. "These are seals-power breakers, if you will." She said, pointing to her neck where the bones rattled uneasily. "They'll lower me down to your strength and keep my magic in check. This way I won't accidentally kill you." The woman's grin was not kind. "Just don't let the seals touch you-they're storing as much as anything else-touching them would be like touching a nuclear fire with all the pain, but none of the radiation."_

As the symbiote inside him healed the wound, Teal'c turned his attention back to Mara. She was grinning, though it appeared her claim to a nuclear burn had been slightly exaggerated. (At least, for a Jaffa anyhow. A normal human would not have been so lucky.) And as the bones and claws rattled and clanked an eerie tune to him, Teal'c was unsure whether to be relieved or not with the 'blinders' that had been put over the eyes of the Tau'ri.

It had been O'Neil's idea, something that had surprised everyone, especially, he suspected, the red-eyed demon herself.

"_You want to train me?" Mara asked, staring in disbelief at the Colonel in front of her. "But I can defend myself just fine. I don't need to know how to fight like some damned Valkyrie or Goetia. I have my magic-why would I need some useless skill like that?"_

_Jack grinned, giving her a full view of his teeth. "No, not me." He pointed to the Jaffa behind her. "Him."_

It had been one day after the large group had returned through the Stargate, with a surprisingly fast check-up from a glassy-eyed Dr. Fraisier (Jack and Sam both would later confront Mara on the incident, none the wiser that it had been Hild, not her subordinate, who'd stolen the poor doctor's memories.) No one was sure why the silver-haired had wanted it, and when questioned, Jack simply shrugged his shoulders, strangely tight-lipped.

Whatever the reason however, it wasn't until the very next day that Mara found herself sparring on a day to day basis with the large tank that was Teal'c, more often then not finding herself on the receiving end of a painful beating without the reliance of her magic or natural-born strength. In fact, the only thing that seemed to have remained with the seals she wore was her already-strong fortitude, at times taking a full-blown punch from Teal'c that would have severely broken another man's face, and then standing from where she'd fallen as though the blow had been little more then a swat.

It seemed being one of the most used subordinate's of the Daimakaicho, while often times painful, did have it's advantages every now and then.

Speaking of which...

Hild let out a whoop at the sight Teal'c's blood, even as the wound sealed at her call. Neither Mara nor Teal'c could be certain of just when the violet-eyed child had appeared during their sessions together, but somewhere around the third day of training was when they'd actually noticed her, rooting and hollering and creating a ruckus like only a child could create.

That was around the time the duo had started to gain an audience as well, no doubt drawn to the noise the girl was creating.

It had been endearing at first. After the good doctor had given Hild the 'okay' and SG-1 had finished their debrief, the little girl had become inseparable from the female portion of the team, until it became a common sight to see Hild with, if not Lt. Jotun, then a strangely uncomfortable Major Carter. But that had been before things had started to get a little strange. The Lieutenant would always seem to grow pale and tense when around the child, much as a new recruit felt around their supervisor. The major would often become incredibly tight-lipped and stressed whenever the girl was around, and when Janet had offered to see if she couldn't bring Cassie inside the SGC so Hild wouldn't be so lonely, the doctor had jumped at the almost-demanding '_no' _that had been the response.

For the life of the SGC as a whole, no one could understand why the two blondes where so uncomfortable in the child's presence.

Yet somewhere down the line, the conclusion had come down to the fact that the two women knew something everyone else didn't involving the little girl, somewhere further down came the assessment that it had to do with some sort of deep-sated abuse that Hild had gone under with the Goa'uld sisters Carter and Jotun had spoken of.

It was amazing. Hild would later comment in a private time with Mara, away from the rest of SGC personnel. How easy it was to manipulate such simple thoughts into something so extreme.

A kick to Mara's right knee brought the demon-woman out of her thoughts, feeling s twinge of pain before dropping to the ground. She'd let herself get distracted again, watching now as the blur that was Teal'c flew above her, seconds later pinning the woman to the ground.

"Game, set, and match." A new voice entered the crowd, and Mara tilted her head just enough to see the crossed arms of O'Neil, casually standing next to the child that was Hild. "Looks like you still have a ways to go before you can beat Ol' T, Lieutenant." The colonel grinned. "And I'd say you two have had enough fun for one session. How about we go and get some chow?" He asked, pointing a thumb to the exit, even as the crowd that had swarmed around the two dualists departed. "I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry, and I think it's lunchtime for the kid too." He nodded down at Hild, who grinned up at him broadly.

_Suck up._

Hild's head whipped around to stare at Mara, her expression shadowed. A flash of red flew behind a predator's violet eyes, and the demon flinched as Teal'c moved to stand.

_Don't tempt me, Maa-chan._

It sucked having a boss that could read thoughts.

And then the Daimakaicho was gone, leaving Mara to stare into the innocent eyes of a child once more. Her mouth having gone dry with the threat of impending doom on Hild's behalf, the blonde swallowed, hoping to somehow get some sort of moisture back in her throat.

If either Jack or Teal'c noticed, they chose not to comment.

Instead, Jack's smile if anything grew larger, reminding Mara strangely of the Cheshire Cat. The blonde grunted. "You seem to be in an awful cheerful mood today Sir." She stated, climbing to her feet. "Did you finally kill the singing cat?"

"Better." Jack replied, his eyes almost _sparkling_ with joy. "I finally got that son-of-a-bitch Thomson out of my house." He pointed to the demon in disguise. "And nothing _you're _going to say is going to put me in a bad mood." He said before turning and heading towards the gym exit. "Now come on, lets go celebrate with cake."

Hild, perhaps enjoying her role as a child a little _too _much, bounded after the older man. "But I thought the cake was a lie, Sir!"

The silver-haired demon shouted, her grin growing larger as Jack wheeled around in an overly-dramatic fashion, a look of dead seriousness on his face as he stated, "The cake is never a lie!"

The silver-haired duo then burst into laughter at what had to have been some sort of inside joke, before continuing forward, neither bothering to look behind them to see if the other half of their little group was following or not.

Teal'c, who had fallen silent with the arrival of the man he called leader, looked over to Mara, a soft frown on his face. "Lt. Jotun." He stated, his voice as grave and serious as though his next words held the weight of the world on them. "Please inform me-how can a cake be a lie?"

Mara stared at the retreating forms of her boss and contract. "You're asking the wrong demon, Big Guy." She said.

It had felt as though a great deal had changed in the week since Mara's arrival to the SGC. In fact, very little had changed, only the simple fact that SG-1 was slowly starting to get a better understanding of just what it was that made Mara the person they'd come to know.

Grabbing her boots and blouse, Teal'c doing likewise with his own footwear, the duo quickly made their way after the white-haired counterparts each respectfully called 'leader'.

It was amazing how much could be learned about a person in a week spent together.

Teal'c and Mara rounded the corner just as the elevator doors began to close, Hild with a big grin on her face, Jack an amused smirk he couldn't completely hide. "Hey, wait up!" Mara shouted, making a mad bolt for the closing doors, one arm spread wide in front of her as she sought to catch the elevator. Behind her, Teal'c paused, raising an eyebrow as the alien decided to simply watch the crazy antics of the demon.

Just as the doors were about to close, Jack grabbed the side of one, forcing the doors back open and allowing Mara entrance. Hild snickered. Jack grinned. "You need to be faster then that if you want to keep up." The older man advised, Teal'c silently striding into the elevator behind the demon. "After all, if an old man like me can beat you to an elevator, how do you expect to survive off-world?" Brown eyes glittered mischievously as the doors shut behind them, a small 'bing' heard as the elevator began to descend.

Yes, a great deal seemed to have changed in the small time the demon had spent with SG-1. Was it perhaps because of the fact that they had shared, what did mortal's call it, a 'near-death experience', and come away unscathed? Or had their the time spent together revealed things to Jack and the rest of his team that the group could better compare to, traits Mara exhibited that made her seem more 'human'?

A week had shown Jack a strange demon with an aptitude for children, watching in no small bit of astonishment over the fact that, of all of them, it was Mara that little Hild seemed to bond with the most, even over carter, who'd become renown for her experience with children, be they human or alien in origin. Yet even now, as Jack watched the dark skinned child latch on to Lt. Jotun's arm, the uncomfortable look that washed over her face stated that whatever caused the strange bonding moment, magic was not a factor of the equation.

Another 'ping', and the doors opened once more, Jack stepping out and waving for the others to follow. At the two females questioning gazes, the Colonel grinned. "Come on, we can't leave Carter and Daniel out. If we don't go get them, they'll starve themselves." It earned him a disbelieving snort from Mara, but none the less, the rest of his pack followed, the group of four moving to walk down the halls with the elevator doors closing behind them once more. As they rounded a corner, causing various personnel and soldiers to step out of their way, Jack looked over his shoulder at Mara. "Besides," he said. "Maybe if you're nice, Carter or the space monkey will give you some coffee."

This time it was Jack's turn to snicker as he watched the woman's eyes light up at the prospect of caffeine. It was another discovery they'd made about the demon-a weakness that made her more _human_, in a sense. Some time after their first mission, Mara had made the discovery that no, alcohol was not permitted on-base during duty hours, a fact that had, surprisingly enough, greatly agitated the demon. When Daniel had made the mistake of offering the blonde coffee in the hopes of somehow sedating the demon, everyone as a whole, human, alien, and demon, had come to the surprising discovery that Mara enjoyed the taste.

And she liked it straight-up black, too. Not even the coffee fiends that were Major Carter and Daniel Jackson could compare to _that_ taste. (Carter would later over-hear in conversation between Mara and Hild, both of who for whatever reason had chosen _her _room for lesser-disguised conversations, mention something along the lines of why it was _demons _had created coffee and not the gods. Something along the lines that only a demon would be devious enough to make something so foul tasting so addictive. When Carter would ask for more information in regards to the topic, Hild would simply smile and state one simple fact: Demons made coffee. Gods made tea.)

The remaining members of SG-1 were easy enough to find. As to be expected, the two scientists were in their respective rooms. Daniel, as to be expected, was bent over a book, a notepad beside him and some stone tablet of an unknown origin resting on top of his desk. The only sound heard was the soft scrape of pen on paper as the archeologist scribbled note after note, unaware of the company slowly sneaking up behind him.

The he caught the reflection of eerie violet eyes in his glasses, and the young man yelped, jumping and whirling around to find not only the child claiming ownership to the odd eyes, but Jack, Teal'c, and the demon who'd come Hild's 'pseudo-guardian', Mara, as well. Startled blue eyes stared. "...When did you all get in here?" He asked, looking in particular at Jack more then anyone else.

Teal'c he'd grown unconcerned with, knowing that the man would never come to Daniel without a reason-the Jaffa was never one for social visits. Hild, he'd come to find, enjoyed popping out of nowhere (literally) whenever she grew bored, and was one of the few people who would actually silently sit and simply listen to him ramble over what most would consider some inane subject, sometimes even offering her own opinion and giving him a perspective that only a child could seem to see, even coming up with her own stories and beliefs on what various religions and societies believed (he'd found it espcially entertaining to here that demons and goddesses lived on different dimensional planes, but that was another story altogether.)

Mara-_Marla_ was easy. All she wanted was coffee usually, claiming the drinks in the chow hall too sweet for her liking. He'd even found that he might learn a thing or two about demon culture, if he offered to trade a cup of coffee for a story. (He'd later come up with the conclusion that Hild spent a little _too _much time with Mara-the two's stories often had some similar aspect to them. Goddesses with angels, demons with devils? Reincarnations and races on broomsticks through heaven and hell?)

But Jack he'd always associated with trouble, especially with the grin his older friend wore on his face at the present. It simply screamed _I'm gonna get in trou-ble._ In a sing-song voice, high pitched and squeaky like a hyperactive robot dressed like a green dog. Daniel blinked at the strange comparison, feeling as though it was more foreign then anything else. He _needed_ to stop watching that strange cartoon with Cassie every time he went over to watch her. (Though he did not know it, Carter was guilty of the same crime.) The fact that Jack was currently being accompanied by the child that was Hild and the demon that was Mara didn't bode well for the scientist either.

Jack clapped his hands together, a look that was almost devious entering his face. "Danny-boy, we're here to kidnap you." He stated, his smile growing larger by the second as he stated his words.

Daniel narrowed his eyes suspiciously, baby-blue eyes darting from one person to the next. "Kidnap?" He echoed, watching with growing dread as an equally devious smile spread across not just Mara's, but Hild's as well.

Oh boy...

In front of him, Jack nodded his head. "Yep." He agreed. "You can either come with us willingly so that we can prevent you from collapsing on us in hunger, or I can let my two cohorts here," he pointed his thumb behind him to where Mara and Hild stood, Teal'c having at some point decided to wisely duck out of the room and wait for the chaos that no doubt was about to arise outside. "...have at your room." In a softer voice he said, "think about it Daniel." Jack whispered, moving a tad bit closer and slapping his hand down on Daniel's shoulder. "We've all come to discover that Mara doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'sensitive'. And Hild is _only _a child. We all know how dangerous a child can be around delicate objects." As though hearing the quiet conversation, Hild met his eyes with glittering violet eyes.

She waved.

Daniel swallowed.

Five minutes later found SG-1 slightly larger walking down the hallways once more, a defeated Jackson trailing behind the group as ahead of them, Hild all but skipped as she led the way to Major Carter's room. "I hate you all right now." Daniel muttered lowly, head hanging dejectedly as he followed the black boots that belonged to Jack.

The older man snorted, lightly slapping his younger companion on the back. "Lighten up, you needed to get out and about. Socialize, realize there is an actual _world _out there, with real, living _people." _He said with a grin. "Otherwise you'll end up like Mara, alone and hating the world around you." He pointed to the blonde, ignoring the glare she sent his way. The week had led to a strange sort of treaty between the two, an agreement, more then anything else, to work together without killing one another, or worse. It had lead to a constant bickering between the duo, demon and contracted trying to save their more violent fights from those who didn't know the situation. Some how, it had worked so far.

Not even bothering to knock, Hild opened the door that lead into Carter's lab, the door flying open as the miniature Daimakaicho bounded into the room. Jack trailed in after the child, hand's shoved idly in his pockets as he strolled into the room with Mara, Daniel, and Teal'c behind. If Carter noticed, she gave no sign, continuing her work without so much as a twitch to give away the fact that she'd even heard the gang enter.

A soft smirk on his face, Jack approached behind the woman, a mischievous thought entering his mind as he moved up behind the woman. The colonel looked over his subordinate's shoulder, watching as some strange formula typed its way into existence on screen, the equation looking little more then some alien chicken-scratch to his brown eyes. "Carter." He said softly, wondering if his voice would entice some sort of response from the woman.

Nothing.

"Carter..." The man raised his voice a little, glancing from the blonde to the screen and back again, another row of equations endlessly forming.

Still no response.

"Carter!" The word came out a harsh bark this time, and the man watched with satisfied amusement as the younger woman jumped, hand racing to shut the laptop before whirling around to face Jack.

"Sir!" She barked back, her tone coming more from habit then anything else, her eyes wide and speaking her surprise as much as her actions. The woman blinked, staring at Jack before allowing her gaze to drift from him to the small unit that had followed him inside. "A...Sir, can I help you with something?" Her tone clearly stated she wasn't too happy about the interruption, trying to find the source of what it was Jack wanted so she could get him and several other people out of her lab before they could cause any damage.

If she'd been paying better attention to Daniel, the major might have realized the futility of her efforts.

Jack's grin grew larger.

Daniel shook his head.

Ten minutes later found a group of two officers, two demons, one civilian, and one alien in the SGC's compact cafeteria. Defeated and dejected, Daniel and Sam stood in front of Jack, where the older man could keep a close eye on his two scientists and make sure they didn't make a mad dash for the exit should they leave his line of vision. Teal'c moving to lay claims to a table large enough to fit six people, Hild and Mara fell in line behind Jack.

The chow hall was fairly crowded, with tables filled with other SG teams and staff, creating a dull roar that echoed as vibrations bounced off steel walls. Regardless, the line was short, SG-1 having just missed that mad rush that came with lunch. As Teal'c claimed a table that had just been wiped down by a staff member on call, the remainder of the odd team grabbed food trays for themselves, Mara grabbing a second one for Hild with some mental urging from the child at her side.

The group steadily worked their way through the line. Jack, true to his word, grabbed an overly-large piece of chocolate cake, a look of a cat about to eat a canary on his face as the man laid claim to something that vaguely resembled macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. Carter, deciding to go with a safer decision, moved to grab a salad, with Daniel following and grabbing a sandwich he could watch the lunch lady make behind the counter.

Mara, a tenth-dimensional being who didn't rely on the consumption of edible items for energy but rather the demon's master computer Nidhogg, stared at the various items wearily before finally pointing at something that claimed to be meatloaf, but resembled something far more foul. With a cheerful hum, Hild directed a small ounce of magic at the back of Mara's knee reminiscent of kicking someone with a switchblade boot, and with a self-discipline born of a constant abuse, Mara stiffened.

"Could...you make that two servings?" The demon's voice was slightly strained, and she pointed self-consciously at the silver-haired monstrosity at her side.

The woman behind the counter stared, before leaning forward and looking down at the dark girl, taking Mara's strained voice for embarrassment rather then a restrained curse of pain. Hild stared back with a child's innocent eyes, before blinding the woman with an adorable smile.

"Well aren't you just a doll." The woman cooed with a southern drawl. "But so skinny! Have your friends been feeding you enough, Hun? You're all skin and bones!" Eyes sparkling with merriment, the woman happily grabbed another plate and loaded the plate with a rather large serving of vom-_meatloaf_, before handing it to Mara. "And _you_, Ma'am, are simply full of surprises, aren't you?" She asked, catching the woman off-guard as the demon disguised as a Lieutenant moved to take the plate.

"Huh?"

Having found an unfortunate victim to speak to, the woman continued. "Did you know that when you first got here, there was a running bet on how long you'd last with your team before you were either taken off or killed?" The southern bell asked cheerfully, ignorant, or perhaps simply ignoring, the sudden violent eye-twitch that briefly assaulted Mara's right eye.

"Ah..."

"And not only did you make it back from your first mission alive and relatively uninjured, you even saved a precious little girl from what would have been no doubt a terrible fate!" The smile seemed to grow on the woman's face. It was only the fact that not only could she _feel_ Jack watching her every move, but the fact that one of Hild's more...painful...spells was threatening to spike off, no doubt ready to cause what would no doubt become a catastrophic disaster should Mara say or do anything stupid that prevented the fanged woman from lighting the woman with Hell-fire right then and there.

"Who would have thought that you were so good with children?" The woman continued to rattle on, ignorant or uncaring of the eavesdropping soldiers around the small group. "The child has taken to you with such a shine! I'd have never expected it from such a young woman like you!"

"Hey, what's that su-"

Hild cleared her throat.

Mara lost her voice.

"C'mon _Maa-chan._" The Daimakaicho grabbed Mara by the sleeve. "Let's go. I'm _hungry_." With a strength that belied her childish body, Hild dragged the taller demon away, no doubt, in her own twisted sort of way, preventing the poor mortal from an early meeting with her Ex-Husband.

Behind the counter, the lunch lady didn't even have time to protest the sudden departure, suddenly finding herself swept away in the tide of hungry consumers that had been patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation with the unlucky demon.

Finding herself precariously balancing two heavy loaded trays with food, Mara allowed herself to be dragged to the table, where the rest of SG-1 had already situated themselves, Jack watching the two newcomers with a fork in his mouth, a half-consumed slice of cake out in front of him. "Well, can't say that wasn't entertaining." Jack stated after swallowing the piece of sugary goodness in his mouth. "For a second, I was sure you were going to blow her up or something." He teased, eyes meeting Mara's for a brief second before skimming over Hild's silver head and to the suddenly swamped service woman. "...Not that I'd blame you. At least, not with a chatterbox like that."

Placing the trays in front of the last two available seats, Mara moved to sit, Hild hopping onto the chair next to her. The child looked over at Jack, something of an unknown origin flashing behind wicked eyes. "..._Maa-chan_ can blow people up?" The little girl asked in a voice that was none-to-quite, causing several people sitting near her to look up in alarm. She tilted her head to one side in curiosity, fully expecting an answer from the man sitting across from her whose eyes had suddenly widened a fraction of an inch.

To either side of Hild, the remaining females of the group sent each other a silent look.

It went unnoticed by their male counterparts.

Jack unleashed an uncomfortable laugh, suddenly remembering just how observant children could be when adults forgot they were in the room. Or how unnecessarily loud they could be.

Daniel was the one who came to the rescue. "It's an inside joke." He explained, the doctor's own voice one or two octaves louder then it usually was. "We discovered on our first mission together Mara's love for explosives." the archeologist said, recalling a time during their imprisonment when Bra'tak had spoken of a demon that danced away from staff blasts with bombs in her hands.

Hild stared.

Daniel stared back.

Jack began to sweat.

The meatloaf twitched, and Mara jumped, slamming the fork she'd been holding spokes down into it, a miniature trident stabbing into some sort of man-made monster.

The rest of the table jumped at the action, and the conversation was lost in favor of Mara. "What?" She demanded, releasing her fork, where it stood straight up from where it lay buried in the mystery meat. "It moved. Whatever this thing is, I don't think they killed it entirely before serving it to us."

_Way to ruin my fun, _Maa-chan.

Hild turned her attention back to her own plate of food, prodding it gently with her own fork and watching in open curiosity as it twitched in response.

"Now you understand why I got the salad." Sam said dryly, watching with a weary eye as the meat...burped. "I don't know what my civilian half does when I'm not here, but I _do_ know that several experiments of mine have gone missing in the past three months." The others watched in a sort of horrified bewilderment at the meat, and the next comment was from Mara.

"You know, when I was a kid, I can remember watching Urd trying to make a love potion once. The thing that came out of it kind of reminded me of _that_." She pointed to the meat, once again causing the rest of her team to stare at her and earning an amused snort from Hild.

"Only Urd..."

Teal'c was the only one who seemed to notice the child's comment, and as she felt his eyes wander towards her, the Mother quickly departed, leaving nothing but an innocent child staring back in question.

The Jaffa wasn't sure what it was, but something told him to 'drop it' before he got himself into trouble. He wisely took the thing's advice.

"Okay, explosions, mystery meat and missing experiments aside, I have an announcement to make." Jack pinged his spoon against his glass, a small part of him relieved to move the conversation onto something a little more sane. It simply wasn't right, watching the cafeteria food grow sentient. As the group turned their attention towards the colonel, Jack's face once again broke into an excited smile.

"Well, with my house now 'debugged' of vengeful peers, General Hammond has finally decided I've calmed down enough to allow us back out on another mission." Somewhere in between the time it had taken for SG-1 and Mara to go off world and their return, the General had somehow gotten the conclusion that perhaps it was not the best idea to let Jack out of his sight, especially after having to 'bug' his house in the hopes of catching sight of this so-called 'demon' Daniel had been raving about. He'd quickly decided to 'ground', for less of a better word, SG-1 until he deemed them fit (mentally) for 'gate travel once more.

Besides, he'd said during their debrief. It'd give them time to adjust to their newest teammate as well as give them time to figure out what to do with the ward they'd brought back with them.

He was still waiting on that whole luck with the ward thing.

Something told him he'd be waiting for a good while yet.

Sam and Daniel's eyes both lit up with twin glimmers of joy. The two held a remarkable resemblence to one another that bordered on creepy at the news, but none the less, Jack felt a hint of happyiness himself as he stared at their excited faces. "Yep." He said, nodding at their wordless questions for an explanation. "I guess he finally gave up on catching sight of phantoms. And with these three new Goa'ulds out in the field, he decided he'd rather have us out beating the tar out of 'em rather then run the risk of SG-3 getting blown up again."

"Jack, this is wonderful!" Daniel cried. "So when are we do for our next mission? I've enjoyed our free time-I've caught up on so many projects-but I've been getting restless as of late." He tried not to glance at Hild whose presence was starting to grow so hazardous as of late that up until last night, he'd actually _dreamed_ of the child, or, at least, what she'd become several years down the road, coming to him like the Devil himself and offering temptations beyond anything a Goa'uld could come up with.

He'd politely declined the invitation, much to the Dream-Hild's disappointment.

Too bad there were several others who couldn't say anything near as much.

They were no longer a part of the SGC.

Sitting across from Daniel, Carter nodded her head. "I have to agree with Daniel on this one, Sir." She said. "It'll be nice to get off-world once more. But aren't we forgetting something?" The woman's sapphire gaze traveled to meet an amethyst pair. "What about Hild, Sir? We can't simply take her with us..." _And I'll be _damned_ before I let her anywhere near Cassie._ "..And I don't want to burden Janet with another dependent. She 's got her hands full with Cassie as it is."

Hild narrowed her eyes. _So that's how you want to play it, eh Little Samantha?_ "What about Grandpa, if not Auntie?" She asked aloud, using the various titles Hild thought a child her age might actually use on the surrounding adults. The pet names were cute and endlessly amusing, especially when the Daimakaicho watched the newer recruits to the SGC listen to her go about calling their General 'Grandpa'.

Jack leaned back in his chair, eyes moving to the ceiling as he went over Hild's idea in his head, a soft 'hmm' rumbling in the back of his throat in thought. "Sure, why not?" He finally decided. "I don't feel comfortable dropping Hild on some random officer or civilian, especially when I don't know them." He reached over, ruffling Hild's already out of control hair as he stood. "I don't think he'll mind too much. I know the General's got a soft spot for kids, him being an actual Grandfather and everything."

The man missed the near-demonic glare Hild sent towards Jack at the hair ruffle. Mara and Sam, however, did not.

"Ah, Sir..." Sam started weakly.

She went unheard, and an already defeated shake of the head from Mara told her it was already considered a lost cause.

As Hild hopped off her chair to chase after Jack, Sam looked to her blonde counterpart with a frown. Why did this suddenly feel like a bad idea?

~*~

A/N: And I'm done.

Thank the high heavens. This chapter is more of a filler then anything else, something to help me get back into the groove of writing my stories again now that I'm officially out of training status. The next chapter is when things, in my book, start going straight to the cuccoos though. It makes me all kinds of giddy inside just thinking about it.

Don't ask me where the meatloaf incident came from. I'll I can say is that with how crazy things have gotten for me, I feel as though I'm totally straying from my original plotline. At least in certain aspects. In others, it feels like I've somehow improved, but I'll let the reader decided if so and on what.


	13. The Second Mission

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Chevron seven locked!"

With a soft _swoosh_, the gate activated, a blue, cloudy vortex of energy plunging out before devouring itself as it pulled inwards once more, leaving behind the shiny liquid blue of the event horizon. The energy casting off an alien glow that reflected off the various metal buckles and items that lay attached to each respective person, SG-1 stood in silence in front of the ramp, dressed in a full battle rattle and practically twitching with excitement.

Staring down at them from the command room, General Hammond leaned forward to speak into the microphone. "SG-1, you have a go." Beside him, sitting in one of the many wheeled-chairs that lined the small command panel, Hild leaned forward, carefully placing both hands on the cold metal in front of her as she shifted to get a better view of her minion and the man bound to her through contract. As Jack moved to lead the way up the ramp, the child-sized Daimakaicho moved to gently grasp the general's blue sleeve.

"Can I say something before they go?" Hild asked, the earnest violet eyes of only the child she played the part of looking up at the older man in innocence. Granddaughters both around the same age as the child sitting within the underground facility deep within a Top Secret base gliding through his mind's eye, General Hammond allowed himself a smile, ignoring the way several other lesser ranking airmen in the room chose that moment to look away, no doubt in an effort to hide their own amused smiles at his actions.

"Well, I don't see why not." He said, gently sliding the microphone over to the silver-haired child, who stared at it with a tilt of her head. "Go on ahead, just speak into the microphone. They'll hear you, don't worry."

As the Daimakaicho's spirit cackled deeply in amusement at the General's actions, the Child wrapped her hands around the microphone's neck, somehow forcing the mike to screech with some foreign static that should not have been present and causing any and all who heard it to wince in pain. Taking a moment to simply bask in the sudden streaks of negativity suddenly directed at her for her actions, Hild smiled before waving down at all of SG-1. The screech had caused them all pause in front of the event horizon, and now, knowing she had their full attention, Hild spoke into the mike.

"Don't die."

The words with short, simple, and to the point. And none present were quite sure how to respond to the statement. In fact, in the manner with which she spoke, the words almost came across as foreboding, causing several of the more experienced staff members to frown. The newer members might write such words off as a joke, innocent words from an innocent child. Yet for those who'd been within the SGC for a longer period, who'd seen, heard, _experienced_ more in their career then most people could in their entire life, the words sounded like a threat of things to come.

After all, SG-1 had come back one person short more then once.

Sensing the atmosphere growing painfully tense at the wild-haired child's words, General Hammond quickly slid the microphone back into his control, more then a little disturbed at the smile he was beginning to consider _overly_ innocent on the violet-eyed girl's face.

Below them, SG-1 had yet to move from where they had halted, their faces the mirrored expressions created only through the vast amount of time the team of four-now five-had spent together. Hammond wasn't sure if they were taking the dark child's words in jest or full seriousness. Recalling their experience with death and disaster in the past however, the general finally decided it had to be a bit of both.

After all, one doesn't meet death on a normal basis without somehow growing comfortable in it's presence.

"Ah...yes. In light of Miss Hild's words, stay safe, complete your mission, and try not to make any new enemies." He ordered, eying Hild from the corner of one eye as the child in question stood on the cushioned seat and waved, giving SG-1 a full view of the child-demon dressed just as they were.

Quite eerie, when Mara later paused to think about it.

Waving back with a cheer he found more forced then natural, Jack grinned up at the control room, eyes sheilded behind heavy shades. "Don't worry Hild, we'll all come back." He called up with a false smile. Though he'd be be the last to say it, the dark child's words reminded him of one too many close calls in the past, and vaguely, a part of Jack's mind wondered if Hild hadn't just jinxed his team to the great beyond. "And if you're a good girl, who knows? Maybe we'll bring you back a souvenir."

And maybe they would, too. The images sent back of the planet SG-1 was about to visit showed a world thriving with life, one that automatically sent the two more scientific members of his team into an almost drooling excitement. Maybe SG-1 would find something aside from dirt samples to bring back through the gate, something nice and safe.

Like a jackalope.

_Yeah._ Jack thought, turning his back to Hild and the General. _Hild has yet to gain the clearance to leave the mountain yet. A nice, safe pet as alien as her would do her some good when she doesn't have Mara or Carter to cling to._

Somehow the image of Hild snuggling up to an antlered rabbit refused to form in his mind's eye. In fact, the thought of the silver-haired child cuddling up to any small, adorable little critter seemed to be an impossibility in his head, a small, darker part of Jack even _shuddering_ at the very thought.

...Maybe some dirt and old crusty artifacts were a better idea.

Jackalopes could get pretty violent, after all. Just look at _Monty Python._

And with that final thought traversing his mind, Jack lead the way through the gate, his team close on his heels.

He never noticed the soft snicker, the devious smile, that arose upon the Daimakaicho's face as he stepped through the gate. Nor did he notice the small streak of red light that struck him in the back of his neck.

Mara did, however.

And as that same red streak shifted into the small, glowing red silhouette of an all-too familiar form, Mara's head whipped back to the control room, her neck popping painfully with the speed of her turn as she looked up to her boss.

In the control room, the surrounding atmosphere had darkened considerably, in a manner only Mara's demon eyes could pick up. A demonic red aura, the same shade as the red that had assaulted Jack's neck, wafted off the child's body, rising to form a larger, more threatening silhouette behind the girl. And, she found, if Mara squinted hard enough, the blonde demon could just make out the phantom figure of her true leader, dressed elegantly in a majestic violet dress, bejeweled hands folded over one another as The Daimakaicho stared down at Mara with eyes that glowed with hellfire.

_I mean it Mara._ Hild's voice was a deadly whisper in her mind. _Do not screw this up._

General Hammond stepped through the phantom, and the figure of the Daimakaicho began to vanish. "Lt. Jotun, is something wrong?" He asked, a deep frown lining his face as he moved to stand behind The Child. A look of troubled concerned plastered in his eyes as he stared down at the young woman, wondering what could have seen that would give her reason to hesitate. Then he saw the focus of her odd mahogany eyes, for an instant appearing almost red in the glow of the event horizon, and the older man smiled. "Lieutenant, you don't have to worry." Those same eyes looked away from Hild, instead coming to focus on the General. "We'll take good care of Hild, nothing bad will happen to her while you're gone." He nodded to the blonde, resting a hand gently on one of Hild's shoulders. "I promise."

Biting her inner lip in an effort to silence the words she wanted to say, Mara nodded slowly, eyes darting from General Hammond to Hild and back again. _It's not Hild I'm worried about._ With a snarl she didn't bother hiding, one that startled the various mortals unfortunate enough to witness it, Mara wheeled around and launched herself through the gate, Hild's parting words echoing in her mind as the event horizon vanished with Mara's disappearance.

_Remember, _Maa-chan. _I'll be watching you._

And so it was, with the departure of SG-1 once more through the stargate, the SGC and all those present within it's metal corridors, suddenly found themselves at the mercy of the Demon Queen herself.

Momentum caused Mara to crash into Teal'c's back as she exited the 'gate. The event horizon vanishing behind her departure, Mara grimly realized that perhaps throwing herself through a wormhole in a manner of travel she still had not fully mastered was not one of the wisest decisions she'd made in her long life. The demon collided into the Jaffa's back with a soft grunt, yet the brick wall that was Teal'c did not so much as twitch at the collision, instead simply turning his head back to her and looking down at Mara with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell me Lt. Jotun, is there any reason why it is the Chappa'ai decided to project you forth in a manner similar as to that of the various bullets laying within the weapons of the Tau'ri?"

His words earned not only a blank stare from the demon who'd run into him, but the rest of his team as well. His eyes still hidden behind his shades, Jack whistled. "Hey Kids, I think Teal'c just tried to make a joke." And as the dark man turned to regard Jack with a frown, Jack grinned. "...Or not..." He said slowly, turning to regard the new land SG-1 now found themselves traversing.

It was a familiar sight. Like many of the worlds prior, P3-2K5 was one filled with forests, trees rivaling the great Redwoods of California surrounding the stargate, seeming to dwarf everything else around it. "Tree huggers eat your hearts out." Jack muttered, leaning his head back in an effort to see the sky above. Yet bathed in shadow as they were, Jack could see nothing but the surrounding forest canopy, any and all leaves fighting for any small bit of space that might allow them to bath in the alien sun that belonged to that world.

The man looked over his shoulder. "Hey Mara, hope you like camping." He called out in a sing song voice, causing the demon in question to grunt uneasily.

Off to his left, the colonel could already see The Scientist manifesting itself in Carter, Daniel moving beside her as the duo fell into what sounded like little more then pig-latin to Jack's ears, already going over various hypothesis' on why the trees had grown so large, if perhaps it was something in the air or in the soil or water, and if so, then perhaps Earth could somehow use it to their advantage.

Jack snorted.

For Christ's sake, they were only BFT's: Big Friggen Trees.

"Alright Kid's, who wants to go for a hike, raise their hands." Jack raised his own hand at his words, and then looked at the remainder of SG-1. "...I should see you all with your hands up in the air right about now."

As though just hearing his voice for the first time, Daniel and Carter paused long enough to regard him with That Look. "Oh for crying out loud..." Jack muttered, turning away from the two scientists with a look of disgust. "Let's just get going. I'd like to find something aside from BFT's before we have to go back." He said, moving to follow what looked to be a possible deer trail down into the forest.

As Teal'c moved to follow the silver-haired colonel, Mara turned to Sam and Daniel, a look of confusion on her face. "What's a 'BFT'?" She asked.

Sam grinned, not bothering to hide the snicker as she looked at the confused demon. It was Daniel who answered her question. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out eventually." He claimed, waving a hand over at the large trees towering over their heads.

"Hey you three, hurry up! Don't make me force everyone to hold hands so we don't get lost!" The trio jumped at Jack's shout, before quickly dropping the subject of their conversation and jogging to catch up with the colonel, even as Jack disappeared behind another behemoth tree.

"So Bra'tac honestly thinks the majority of the New Jaffa came from this world?" Daniel asked, sky-blue eyes wandering from one tree to another in awe behind glasses that shadowed his face in the shade of the endless canopy.

Ahead of him, Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?" He responded. "Considering everything else that's happened, would it really be that far a stretch?"

Bra'tac, it seemed, had gained more then one new source of contacts since his last visit with SG-1. One of his newer sources had somehow managed to track down the location of just where the Trio, as the SGC had dubbed the new Goa'uld siblings, were getting their Jaffa.

The denizens of the planet were supposedly peaceful in nature, to the point where they had taken in the exploring Free Jaffa who'd wandered onto the planet with open arms, no questions asked and nothing expected in return. Their origins were supposedly mixed in general, if the reports written up on them were in any way, shape, or form accurate. The residential leaders had even claimed that 'being's corrupt of power and darkness' had descended onto their world, stealing their men and destroying families, for reasons that even now, supposedly, remained a mystery to the natives.

And it was do to their relatively peaceful nature SG-1 found themselves assigned to the task of both investigator and Earth liaison, offering their help in a gesture of peace and exchange for information any of the people knew about the three Goa'uld siblings who'd taken so much from their world. From the information the SGC had, the people were about as technologically advanced as a middle aged Europe, once upon a time, and that while the people had denounced the Goa'uld they'd called 'God', the superstitions that had followed them from the Tau'ri home world to their current residential planet still stayed with the natives, something that had the potential to become an issue perhaps more so then any local Goa'uld ever could.

Again, perhaps another reason why SG-1 was tasked with the mission. Experience had taught the original four just how dangerous the superstitious could be if spooked. And their newest member, a demon probably responsible for a good portion of those superstitions, be it on the planet of current residence or Earth, had her own, sometimes enjoyable, sometimes painful, experiences with the superstitious.

Ahead of the small group, the large trees were beginning to shrink, spreading out and growing smaller as the older, vastly greater behemoth trees became stumps-evidence of someone, or a good deal of someones, had need of wooden resources, and quickly being replaced with the smaller, younger trees, ones that had centuries to go before they could reach the might of their predecessors. And with the younger trees came the signs of civilizations-dirt roads with various trails branching off in small forks, prints still fresh lying in the dirt. Above the canopy of the smaller trees, plumes of smoke arose in a shockingly violet setting sky, until the point SG-1 reached a clearing void of trees, where, in the valley that sloped gently downwards below them, a village appeared, its keepers multicolored ants that spoke of the liveliness of the village.

"Well kids, welcome to the homely little village of Eldenroth." Jack stated, removing his sunglasses from his eyes and storing them in one of the various pockets of his uniform. "Population-once a thousand, now a little less then one hundred." The man threw his weapon over his shoulder, allowing the strap dangling from his shoulder to support it's weight. The weapon out of sight, Jack waved down to the small group of natives gathering below, murmuring to themselves and pointing to the small group at the top of the hill.

Having already sent warning ahead to the village elder of their arrival, there was no need for the more open display of weapons, something SG-1 had been informed of in their pre-mission brief. Not if they wanted to continue any open relations between the SGC and potential informants. "Hi-Dee-Ho boys..." Jack murmured, continuing to wave as a small entourage gathered itself before making it's way up the hill. "Hi-Dee-Ho."

It wasn't long before SG-1 found themselves lead to the inner portions of the village. Around them, a litter of houses stood, simple wooden cottages lined with various items-bone, antlers, furs, and a variety of iron charms adorned the outer-most portion of the homes, varying from one residence to the next. The leader of the village troup, a young man who'd gone about the name 'Markus', lead the small gang to the center of the village, where a large bonfire, no doubt the source of the obvious smoke witnessed from the top of the hill, burned vividly in front of a highly elaborate building.

The village was a great deal similar to many of the various off-world natives SG-1 had come across in the past, yet still, the more scientific portion of the team still found themselves staring in open wonder at the sights. "This reminds me of some of the older Celtic areas I've come across in the past." Daniel murmured, eying several sets of caricatures remarkably similar to the ancient runes the Asgard used as a native language, yet with one or two completely alien symbols that gave a whole new meaning to one word versus another.

Carved into the top above each door entry way into one cottage or another, the archeologist wasted little time delving into sounding the words out-the linguist within already trying to translate the alien language into something he could better understand.

As Daniel's mouth mutely mouthed out a new foreign tongue, Sam eyed the symbols they passed with a curiosity of her own, comparing and contrasting the strange symbols to those that adorned the various technology locked deep within her lab. "The character's are remarkably similar to the Asgard's..." She murmured, sky-blue eyes drifting from the housing to the colonel ahead of her. "Sir, perhaps this is a planet under the Asgard protection?" She asked, before answering her own question with a scowl remarkably similar to Jack's when he fell into a bad mood. "No, no...that doesn't make any sense. If this planet was under the treaty, why would the Goa'uld come here for Jaffa? Unless they were so arrogant they believed themselves a match for the Asgard..."

An image of deadly violet eyes shot through her mind, and Sam drew in a quick breath, stopping with little thought as to where she was as a quick wave of horror washed through her.

They _did_ have a rather powerful demon on their side. Who said these Goa'uld siblings hadn't done just that?

"Sam?" Daniel asked, taking note of his companion's pause and the involuntary shiver that ran up her spine. "Are you alright?"

The question caught the others attentions as well, and as one, the original members of SG-1 came to a halt, confusing the various natives who's understanding of the Tau'ri language was limited.

Jack frowned, looking back over at his major with puzzled brown eyes. "Carter? What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The colonel's voice seemed to return the major back to the present, and Sam blinked as a face adorned with red stars faded from her mind. _Any memories of what we have spoken of _will_ be sealed if you so __much consider speaking of it to anyone outside this chamber. _Hild's parting words from their first meeting trailed through Sam's mind, and the woman swallowed words that could of damned her. "I...just recalled something slightly disturbing Sir." She said softly. "It's nothing, really."

Jack raised a silver brow. "Just _slightly disturbing_, Major?" He quired, looking none too convinced.

"I..." _Know the Queen of Hell is responsible for this fiasco. "..._think I left one of my inventions out, Sir." She lied. "I'd be a little more cautious with any edible substances when we return to the SGC."

Jack snorted at her words, still looking unconvinced but allowing the topic to temporarily drop.

As he turned his back once more, Sam sighed.

"You're full of shit, you know that, right?"

Sam jumped at Mara's voice, her head swerving to the left and meeting the glaring eyes of the blonde demon on their team. Mouth parting in objection, Sam found no sound emitting from suddenly halted vocal chords as Mara absently shook her head. "Save it for the judge." She muttered, mahogany eyes darting away from Sam and to the surrounding area suspiciously. "I know just as much as you do."

A soft sneer encroached on the demon-woman's features, and then Mara was off again, her disposition tense and weary, as though the blonde expected an attack from some unknown source at any time.

Watching her wander off, back as stiff as plywood, Daniel found himself once more at Sam's side. "Is Mara alright, do you think?" He asked, once more amazing Sam at the sheer amount of concern the archeologist showed for anyone he found with him, even naturally damned by nature and probably twice the evil being Apophis had once been. "She's been tense ever since we entered the village." He explained at Sam's look. "I wonder if she knows something we don't, or if there's something in this village that's making her so tense."

His thoughts voiced to the wind, Daniel moved off once again, his gaze once more traveling to the surrounding area, but this time, Sam noted, with a gaze that continuously eyed Mara more then seemed usual.

Sadly, Daniel didn't know just how close to the truth he really was.

There was indeed a reason behind Mara's attitude, and while it did have to do with something she was aware of and the others not, it had little to do with Jaffa or Goa'uld or anything, really, that might be considered a threat for the mortal members of SG-1.

Mara's eyes rose to the rooftops of one of the small cottages, repressing the sudden urge to vomit as her eyes landed upon the insignia burnt into the wood.

The demon had felt it as soon as SG-1 had entered the village.

The blonde steered herself away from another insignia adorned item, biting back a seething hiss of pain as the charmed item assaulted her aura.

Luck charms.

The village was filled with them.

Everywhere her eyes fell, she could see them, feel them, _taste_ them even. They made her eyes water, her stomach roll, her body ache. Was this what it was like for a mortal near nuclear elements? This feeling of steadily growing nausea and pain that haunted every part of her body?

The demon sidestepped a patch of dirt chalked with the same luck incantation that aligned the houses. This...this was dangerous. The _air _was tainted with the luck, the wards were so plentiful. The demon shuddered, Mara's eyes lightening into their original red for a brief moment as she lost her concentration before returning to their lesser-obvious mahogany. How long was she supposed to stay in this village? How long _could_ she stay in the surrounding area without the wards taking to her hard enough that her allergies to the luck charms became apparent? Then what?

Mara hissed softly as her pant leg brushed a barrel, luck charms lining the outer perimeter of wood. Small sparks danced across the limb, sinking into the material and burning the flesh beneath. Positioned as she was between two halves of SG-1 where no villagers were near, it was only Teal'c who took notice of the sparks.

The Jaffa frowned.

Mara's allergy to lucky charms was not something she advertised to the world. It was bad enough that the three sister's she'd found herself at odds and ends with in the past, one, once upon a time, having even been so close so as to be called her 'friend', if such a thing were possible in the infernal realms, knew about her weakness and sometimes even went out of their way to exploit it should she get between the Norns and the mortal the trio lived with, and she was not about to let these four mortals, whom she'd known for not even two weeks, discover that such a simple thing could wound her. Humans talked, after all, and who was to say such a thing wouldn't be used against her?

As sad as it was, the woman could easily picture the silver-haired colonel whom she'd been bound to easily taking a full advantage over her weakness, exploiting it as a way to get her to use her magic outside the perimeters she, as any responsible first class demon, had laid out for herself.

After all, for all the wonderful reputation the man seemed to uphold within the members of his community, Mara was not about to forget two very important facts in regards to Colonel Jack O'Neil.

The first was that, among anything else, this man was a warrior, a killer, someone who'd danced with death in more ways then one and found himself both sleeping with it and playing chicken with it more then Mara would have thought possible for a mortal. With a credential like that, someone so seasoned couldn't be anything _but _dangerous, and like it or not, from what Mara could observe, the SGC was his life.

And considering the Tau'ri were always looking for more ways to obtain power, the idea of Jack holding her up like a trophy upon the discovery of her weakness was terrifying. Only one person was allowed to call her a weapon, after all, and that person was currently residing within the walls of the SGC, no doubt watching Mara's every action with a demon's violet eyes.

The second was simpler, and perhaps all the more dangerous in Mara's eyes because of it.

The man had been found and given a contract from the Infernal Realm, straight from Nidhogg itself, after all.

With such thoughts uneasily traversing her mind, Mara continued her careful dance around the village walkways, her movements a slow saunter made to disguise her efforts at avoidance, a tactic she'd come to master many, many years ago. A closed door, its surface covered with runes and designs, nipped at the demon's person, almost _glowing_ for a brief instant as the positive energy working to dispel her negative aura snapped at her.

She could only pray that SG-1 weren't required to stay any longer then necessary. It was uncertain just for how long Mara would be able to hold out within a town that's very _presence_ fought to dispose of her.

_Don't die._

Those had been Hild's parting words to SG-1.

Now she was beginning to wonder if the words weren't a premonition of things to come.

Ignorant of the thoughts running through the lone demon's head, Jack continued to follow SG-1's very own tour guide, watching as the youth came to a halt in front of the tall, elaborate building standing at the foot of the bonfire. The building seemed to tower over the natives and aliens, the light from the never ending fire in front of it painting the wood a bright red and yellow. So covered in bones and horns and other miscellaneous animal parts, Jack found his eyes crossing in their effort to tell where one piece ended and another began, the objects that framed the building spewed chaotically to and fro. Yet despite the chaos, there was an underlying beauty to the building, and despite himself, Jack let out a low appreciative whistle, startling the youth who'd guided them into the village and quickly growing to become the center of attention once more.

"What?" He asked, staring at the sea of wide eyes that surrounded SG-1 as a whole. "Don't tell me none of you can whistle." He said, the colonel slowly starting to wonder just _how _superstitious these people were.

"Such a sound only calls upon ill omens, my friend." A grave, elderly voice spoke, piercing the silence of Jack's audience and causing a massive shift in gaze, a gentle murmur arising in the small crowd as an elderly man exited the temple in front of Jack. Long hair, as light as Jack's own, was neatly combed back into a sharp, neat braid. A mustache of an equal white fused with a beard that could have been as equally long, creating the image of some old great Norse Viking who'd decided to get off his boat and settle down after a long age of raping and pillaging. After all, Jack was fairly sure the large axe at the man's hip was not for show-for all his age, the elder moved with all the strength of a bear, his build and outfit reminding Jack of one of the fierce berserker warriors he'd once seen skimming through one of Daniel's books.

"Oh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as ahead of him, the surrounding people parted for their leader's way, Moses walking through a human Red Sea before coming to a halt in front of Jack.

He was almost as tall as Teal'c.

"Ai." The elder-what had the reports said? Mukdad? Murad? Nodded before him. "With the departure of the ones who dared call themselves 'gods', we have discovered that there are many different monsters of this world." His gaze shifted, moving past Jack and to the rest of SG-1, pausing on each member as though sizing them up before moving on. "And we have learned..." His gaze rested one moment longer then necessary on Sam, before moving to Mara, where they stayed, meeting her gaze. "...that even the simplest of things can summon a demon." Mara blinked before narrowing her eyes, a challenge.

The old man looked away.

"But come!" The elder's face broke into a hearty smile, and the tension that had arisen at Jack's whistle dissipated instantly. "Now is not the time for such foreboding matters." He slapped Jack roughly on the shoulder with a hand the size of a small frying pan. "Please, come! You have all journeyed a great distance, from what I have been told, and you and your comrades must all be very tired."

The man turned away, walking back to the temple. "Tonight we have guests!" He cried, voice strong and commanding, for all his age and appearance. "It is a time for celebration, so let us feast!" The man raised his head to the sky, laughing loud enough to the point where he received an actual echo from the wind, and the villagers he ruled over cried out in glee. The villagers departing, no doubt in order to do just as their leader had mandated, SG-1 suddenly found themselves alone with the old man, who turned back to them with friendly blue eyes that sparkled with mirth.

"Come, join me by the fire, it shall ward those of an ill mind away." He said, moving to the ceaselessly burning fire, sitting down on a log worn smooth from years of usage. As he waved for the Jack and the others to join him on the wood, the elder spoke once more. "So you are the legendary warrior pack of the Tau'ri tribe?" He asked, head cocked to one side as the man regarded the group with one glistening blue eye. "I am called Murtha, of the Tribe of Fortune. It is an honor to meet such strong warriors." Murtha smiled, revealing teeth stained yellow in the firelight.

The colonel returned the smile with a happiness he didn't feel as he sat down beside the man, listening as the rest of his team followed suit. "Aw, come on." He drawled. "We aren't _that_ good." His modesty was as much in jest as anything else. Jack had never been one to gloat.

Well...there had been that one highschool reunion, but...

"So, what can you tell us about the strangers who came here?"

The conversation ended up taking the rest of the day, Jack and Daniel exchanging information with Murtha well past the setting of the sun. It wasn't until the natives began to regroup around the bonfire, fruit and vegetables and meats of God's knew what mixing with mead and milk as the villagers began to set up for what would no doubt become the feast of a lifetime. It had been around that time that SG-1 had been invited to stay for the feast and the night, much to Mara's disappointment, for there was still a great deal that was left to be discussed.

What the team had learned, however, had been of great value to those present.

Leaning against the trunk of one of the few trees located within the village perameter itself, Mara rested, her breath coming easier now that she was away from the heart of the village, where the charms had shown to be at their strongest. The demon took a deep, relaxing breath, feeling the energy of the charms fading little by little as the scent of some alien meat roasting entered her senses. It relaxed her somewhat, and with a sigh, the blonde allowed herself to slide down the tree trunk and onto her rump, easing out of the heavy combat gear that had been issued prior to the mission.

Mara ran a hand through her hair. "We still don't seem to know a hell of a lot." She muttered, eyes narrowing as the demon recalled the conversation. "But at least the old man was able to enlighten Jack and the others about certain...facts...that I could not." A fingerless gloved hand absently rubbed the grip of the P-90 resting in her lap. "But still...for someone who's never stepped foot off this dirt hole of a planet, the old man certainly seemed to know a hell of a lot."

It was almost suspicious, if she stopped and thought about it. The man already seemed to have a great deal of knowledge about the opponents SG-1 was up against, and she had a feeling he knew even more then Murtha was about to let on. "He knew that someone else was behind the Goa'uld sisters." She murmured. "And all those damned hints...those freaking _looks_ he sent at Sam and me. Is he just so old-fashioned that he believes females still belong in the kitchen? Or does he know something else?"

The looks had not been kind-a flash in the eyes, a frown that disappeared as soon as one of the others spoke, and so many other smaller, more minute, covert things in the man's body language that simply screamed _I don't like you. _If they had been solely directed at Mara, her suspicions would be more confirmed, however the looks had been for Carter as much as herself, something that left her with several open theories.

And though many enjoyed the thought of it, Mara was not blind.

The rest of her team seemed to remain ignorant to it, but Mara could see that Sam was changing.

It had to have been one of the consequences of her time possessed. There was no other explanation to it. But the changes were subtle, too subtle for even those mortals closest to her to notice. Not too small for a demon.

It was more in the Major's actual aura then anything else. A graying had fallen upon the woman's natural aura color, settling in and merging with the aura like some hidden poison or cancer. Hild had been aware of it too, and Mara was almost certain it had become one of the prime reasons why the Daimakaicho had decided to spend so much time around the mortal. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if Hild had _fed _the damned poison, if only to see it grow and thrive and just how much an effect it would have on the poor officer.

The demon grunted. So Samantha Carter of the SGC was growing tainted, and by the hands of the Daimakaicho herself, no less. Things were getting more and more interesting by the minute, fortunately in a way that seemed to more benefit the Infernal Realm rather then the Divine for a change.

A twig snapped.

Mara's reaction was instant, more instinctive then anything else as the demon had already grown more aware with the presence of so many deadly charms around her. The woman twirled, moving to her feet and facing the direction the sound had imminated from with her weapon raised all in one fluid motion, one that held an unearthly grace that no mortal could ever hope to mimic. Red eyes glared at Daniel from down her scope, and with a wry grin, the archeologist raised his hands in mock surrender. Instantly, Mara lowered her weapon, a soft scowl on her face as the young man moved towards her, Teal'c appearing behind him as well, a dark, silent shadow who seemed to loom over the archeologist.

"You're getting better at that." Daniel stated with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at the weapon in her hand. "Good to see you getting into the practice of using a weapon over magic-it'll be less of a hassle to explain in the future, trust me." The last part came out as an afterthought as he caught the glare Mara sent him.

"However..." Being careful not to touch the demon in any manner that might somehow be taken the wrong way, Daniel reached over to the weapon's grip, his thumb pressing into something and causing a soft 'click' to resonate within the area. That done, he stepped away, his grin turning from embarrassment to amusement. "...It always helps to turn the safety off when you're about to shoot someone."

The scientist quickly took another step back as Mara lurched forward with a halfhearted swing from the P-90 at his head, her face growing as red as her eyes in her embarrassment. "Hey, relax!" He yelped, dodging another swing. "If it's any consolidation, I used to do the same thing when I was first assigned to the team!"

If anything, his words only seemed to further anger the demon, and the young man dodged the grenade that was chucked at him, grateful Mara had decided to leave the pin in as it flew past his head, where Teal'c easily caught the explosive.

"What the hell do you want Daniel?" The demon was seething by now, her anger taking the two mortals in her presence off guard. "If all you did was come here to gloat over my shortcomings as a mortal, then piss off. I am _really _not in the mood right now." The woman hissed, unclasping another still-pinned grenade and launching it at the man, who fended it off with a lucky block of the arm.

"Ow." Daniel muttered, squatting down to pick up the explosive. "Actually Mara, that was one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you." Wiping the dirt off the explosive, he looked up at the demon from where he was kneeling. "Mara, we may not know you very will yet, but no one on SG-1 is blind." He rolled on the balls of his feet, rising with all the feline elegance that accompanied the youthful. "Something here's got you on edge." He offered the explosive back to the demon, a small, rational part of him screaming that such a move was beyond foolish, and that he was going to say something that would blow them all to hell.

He deliberately ignored it.

As Mara opened her mouth to respond, Daniel shook his head. "Don't try to deny it, Mara. It's obvious-you're pale and jumpy, like you're expecting a wolf to jump out of the forest and eat you, and you aren't thinking right, otherwise the safety would have been off, and chances are I might not be standing here talking to you." He absently rubbed the pin still attached to the grenade, even as Mara took it back from him.

"There is also a matter we are in a great need of discussing with you, Lieutenant Jotun." Teal'c's low voice caused Mara's frown to deepen, and her eyes darted from human to Jaffa. "The leader of this village is not whom he appears, Lieutenant Jotun."

Thoughts prior to her interruption rising like the dead, Mara narrowed her eyes, wondering what had been reviled to these two that she remained ignorant about. "What do you mean?" She asked, a suspicion the demon was quickly growing uncomfortable with rising in her stomach.

It was Daniel, again, who answered her.

"Murtha...Do you know any demons who go by that name?" At the sharp look and slow shake of Mara's head, Daniel continued, albeit with more caution. "Mara...this guy _knows_ things." At the demon's blank look, the scientist sighed. "He...approached us a little while after we all split for a break." He sent a suspicious look towards the tall blonde.

"Mara, he knows about the contract."

"_What?"_

Even Teal'c found himself taking a step back at the hostility in Mara's voice. A dark scowl appeared on the demon's face at Daniel's words, and already the spell supposedly meant to disguise her demon markings were disappearing, leaving behind once more the Lieutenant and leaving in it's place one royally outraged demon.

One had to give Daniel credit though. Despite looking into the eyes of hell itself, the man refused to break down and run.

Instead, stiff as he fought of an animalistic instinct to flee in the eyes of a predator, Daniel grit his teeth and said, "That's right. He knows about the contract between you and Jack. He knows what you _are." _The young man frowned. "He also said something else rather disturbing, mentioning something about Sam being 'poisoned by a darkness blacker then night.'" The man narrowed his eyes once more at Mara, and this time he could see the embers of anger rising from within. "He said she was possibly more corrupt then Jack was. Mara, what the hell does he mean? Who the hell is this guy? _What did you do to Sam?_"

The anger had risen to his voice by then, the soft rage of a man who'd made the best of too many bad situations, had seen too many terrible things in his short life, and still refused to look at the world with a negative aspect.

Mara had come across his type before. She'd always thought that of all the different types of mortals that ever came to exist, his type had the potential to become the most dangerous.

But such thoughts would come at a later time and date, when Mara had the time to do nothing but think.

Now, however, red sparks of a growing demonic aura were beginning to dance across Mara's uniform, and with a deep breath, the red-eyed woman fought to reign in her temper before she did something she might later come to regret. Now wasn't the time to loose herself to a demon's rage.

Now was the time to think.

"Why the hell would he tell you that?" Mara demanded, fists clenching and unclenching as she spoke through grit teeth. "What your saying is true" Daniel's eyes narrowed to slits at her confirmation. "-For the most part." She quickly added, deciding she really didn't want to explain at the moment the difficulties involved with possession, Sam, and her boss. "But I don't understand why he'd tell you all this. It doesn't make sense."

Angrily Daniel shook his head, loosing his voice to a rage he was only vaguly aware of owning. Teal'c answered for him.

"Murtha of the Fortune Tribe claimed that he wished to keep us from harm." The Jaffa said, meeting the blonde demon's crazed red eyes with his own calmer, darker ones. "He believed us to be ignorant of your presence, or the corruption you have brought down upon the heads of O'Neil and Major Carter. The man ordered us to leave this world and allow him to take care of you-that he would return O'Neil and Major Carter as soon as he sealed you and purified the others."

The Jaffa's words caught Mara off guard, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as a realization struck her.

She swore.

Seal.

Purify.

Corrupt.

This man, this _Murtha_, was no demon.

He was a god.

A/N: And now the real fun begins, with Mara's second mission off-world with SG-1. They will not return home unscathed, I'll tell you that right up front.

This will be part one of two upon the realization that, like many other chapters in the past, this one was becoming too long for one simple chapter.

Sorry guys, but until I update the others, looks like you'll be stuck with an evil cliffy for the moment.

Feel free to curse me out-with this and the upcoming chapters, filling me with glee, I'll probably deserve it.


	14. When It All Falls Apart 1

Devil's Hotline

Chapter 14-1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a coyote skull I purchased out of a recent bout of stress and rage.

* * *

Seal.

Purify.

Corrupt.

This man, this _Murtha_, was no demon.

He was a god.

And that was when the arrow flew.

So stunned by the revelation brought to her attention about the deity calling himself Murtha, the demon did not hear the drawback of a bowstring. Nor did she hear the soft _twang_ of a released arrow, the soft whistle of it's head piercing through the air, nor even the soft _snap_ as an energy not her own danced across it's shaft as it shot through her steadily growing aura.

Teal'c did.

And with a speed that no human should have ever exhibited, the Jaffa moved in front of Mara faster then she could blink, one large, dark hand grasping the body of a highly elaborate arrow, it's angle aimed for Mara's heart.

Small bolts of white lightning danced across it and Teal'c hand as it came in contact with Mara's aura.

The demon gasped, sensing a wave of intense fortune emanating from the arrow, and a demon's survival instinct took hold of her as she sent the raging energy that was her own up and into the forest canopy, where a scream of pain greeted her ears as the magic sought out her target. High up in the tree she sat under, the canopy sighed with discontent, and a body fell from the heavens, landing on the hard dirt with a sickening _whump._

The entire incident took a total of five seconds to happen, and Daniel could only yelp in surprise as the man hit the ground, jumping with a start as the sound of bone breaking upon the ground met his ears. The man whirled around to face the owner of the arrow, swearing loudly and profusely before running to the fallen stranger and kneeling down, bringing a hand to the would-be assassin's neck.

Yet even as his fingers sought out a pulse. Mara's voice reached Daniel's ears, ragged and filled with an emotion he didn't entirely recognize. "Don't bother, Boy." The words sounded villainous, and despite any misgiving Daniel had towards would-be murderers, the scientist found himself praying for a pulse regardless, if only out of spite. Behind him, Mara continued, the sound of heavy booted feet growing louder behind him as the demon approached. The demon's shadow fell over him. "Didn't you hear me?" She sounded strangely tired, as though her spell had stolen a great deal of energy from her. "I said don't bother-I through enough magic at him to kill a full grown elephant, let alone some random mortal."

The words were cruel, but he'd heard worse before. No, what set him off was Mara's _tone_ with which she spoke of the stranger, without an ounce of pity or regret or even _anger_ about what she'd done to him. She spoke with all the emotion of one simply stating the raw facts, talking about the native as though he'd been nothing more then some insect she'd swatted away-nothing more, nothing less. And while it was understandable, Mara's tone- the man _had, _after all, made an attempt on her life- the tone still somehow managed to throw Daniel into a rage.

The archeologist wheeled around, his face twisted into an angry mask. "What the _hell _is wrong with you?" He demanded, his eyes a raging tsunami meeting the calm of a red storm that were Mara's eyes. The fire that had seemed to arise with the revelation of Murtha knowing more then he let on had died in the woman's bright eyes, and now she simply looked fatigued, apathetic to the lecture Daniel had been about to assult her ears with.

It was a big enough change to cause Daniel to halt mid way through his rant, disliking even more the sickly look on her face. "Mara? Are you okay?" He asked slowly, reigning in his temper and instantly switching into concern mode as the demon slowly, agonizingly slow almost, shook her head.

"No..." The word was almost audible to Daniel's ears, and had he not been standing so close to the demon, he was certain he would not have been able to catch her when, swaying like an unsteady drunk on her feet, Mara suddenly fell forward and into Daniel's already open arms, where the man nearly fell backwards and onto his back at the unexpected action.

"Mara?" Daniel's voice rose in concern and panic, looking down at the infernal being and meeting nothing but glazed eyes in return. He looked up, his eyes desperate as they met Teal'c's, who was already moving to help the strange duo. "Mara, you're...you're trembling...what's wrong with you?"

The demon's shaking only seemed to grow worse with Teal'c's approach, and Daniel's worry only grew as he felt the demon grab his arms, her fingers digging into the soft flesh with the small intensity of daggers. "A-arrow..." Her voice was so soft he almost didn't hear her speak, little more then a dispersal of breath against his body as she flinched, the arrow Teal'c had saved her from still in the Jaffa's hand and spitting an arc of energy at her body.

Realizing the source of her pain, Teal'c quickly tossed the arrow off to one side, being sure to throw it into an area still within sight of the trio, lest another would-be killer come across it and decide to use it against them once more.

Mara's change was almost instantaneous with the arrows departure, her grip around Daniel's arms growing softer as she jerked away from him, falling to her knees and simply trembling, taking in deep breaths like one who'd nearly drowned. And even at she felt Daniel and Teal'c kneel down beside her, Daniel's voice a wordless, familiar hum, Mara felt her strength return to her. Closing eyes that had grown dim with her loss of strength, the demon closed her eyes, sighing and inhaling the scent of her comrades. She felt two hot bodies of energy move to either side of her, and despite herself, the woman allowed herself a moment of weakness, leaning into the body closest to her and drawing strenght from the heavy presence there.

"Mara?"

One red eye shot open, coming to meet the gentle blue eyes of Belldandy. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in so long-I was wondering if something bad happened to you. You never come and visit us anymore at the shrine." The eyes became sad, and despite her dislike for the Norn, Mara felt a small twinge of guilt rise in her belly. "Did we do something wrong? Are you avoiding us? Or is it something else?" She asked, eyes earnestly _guilty_ even when it had been Mara, in the past, who'd tried so hard to cause one misfortune or another to befall herself or the mortal she'd fallen for, a college student by the name of Keiichi Morisato.

More then a little perturbed by the goddess's sudden appearance, Mara looked around, finding herself not on another planet, it's natives out for a demon's blood and her only reliance becoming the four strange mortals she'd become bound to, but rather the Tarikihogan shrine. Above her head, birds sang gaily in the wind, several even going so far as to land on Belldandy's shoulders, where she moved to gently stroke their heads.

She knew the shrine well. How many times had she found herself in a fight in this very courtyard, fending off one bomb after another, forced to dance to some stupid tune, or, her latest experience still fresh in her mind, some great wave of luck charms?

As an involuntary shiver rolled up her spine, a woman's laughter haunted the air, and Mara found herself searching for it's owner, recognizing whom it belonged to but unable to find the eerily familiar violet eyes that belonged to the eldest Norn. The only goddess present was Belldandy, who watched the demon with a soft smile.

"Okay..." Mara drawled out as the laughter faded, returning her attention to the chestnut haired woman before her. "So...where am I?" She asked, delving into an explanation as Belldandy cocked her head off to one side. "I'm not exactly on Earth at the moment, Belldandy." Blue eyes widened, and Mara quickly continued before the goddess could jump to any conclusions. "I'm on another planet!" She shouted, raising her hands as though to ward off a blow that would never come. "A new contract got pulled up, and I was the one voluntold to take care of it." The words didn't reassure the goddess as much as Mara would have hoped for, but at least the thought of her getting sealed up or forcibly returned to the infernal realm had left Belldandy's mind.

Speaking of other worlds...

"I'm in your dreamscape, aren't I?" Mara continued, red eyes narrowing in suspicion as below them, on the small road next to the shrine, a motorcycle slowed to a halt, it's owner leaving the bike before making his way up the shrine. The two otherworldly beings watched the person climb the stair, before Mara turned her attention back to Belldandy.

The woman was nodding her head in confirmation, eyes still heavily glued to the cyclist approaching. "Yes." She said. "I don't know what time frame you're on at the moment, but here in Japan, it's eleven at night. Keiichi has school and work tomorrow, and I'm going with him to see if I can't be of some help." An almost embarrassed smile arose on her face. "As much as I love Keiichi, I will not deny the fact that his grasp on the German language is...poor, to say the least."

In front of the tenth-dimensional beings, the biker took his helmet off, revealing Keiichi, who smiled merrily at Belldandy. Distracted by the student's appearance, Belldandy broke off her conversation with Mara, greeting him with a smile of her own. "Welcome home Keiichi! How was your day?"

Grinning from ear to ear at the goddess, the wild-haired youth who'd managed the impossible with a goddess first-class opened his mouth, and shout out the most screeching, grinding speech Mara had ever heard. It was worse then rock or disco, and a small part of her was able to make out one or two words that might have passed for German-if that person were a cat screaming at the top of its lungs while being pummeled by boulders.

Mara thought her ears were going to bleed, the man had butchered the language so badly.

Hands clamped over her ears and teeth gritting, Mara turned her attention back to Belldandy, where the goddess stared with her hands folded peacefully in front of her, a pleasant smile on her face as she listened to the screaming cat that was Keiichi's voice. "Wow, really?" She demanded. "Is this what we mean by _poor_?" Her words went ignored.

"Guess the rumors in hell are true. A goddess first-class really _can't _lie."

Belldandy may have tried to downplay the sound of Keiichi's linguistic abilities, but they _were _in her dreamscape, where, even for a goddess first-class, the subconscious ruled. "Keiichi, you must be tired from working over at _The Whirlwind_. Why don't you go inside? I'll be in in a little bit. There's something I need to speak with Mara about."

What sounded like a monkey being eaten alive by a leopard left Keiichi's throat, and the young man kissed her gently on the cheek before turning and walking off into the shrine. The two woman watched the man wander off, entering opening and closing the door as he entered the residence. The duo winced respectively as the sound of nails combined with the higher shriek of a younger voice.

"Keiichi, what the hell is wrong with your voice! Did Mara curse you again?"

Mara tuned the rest of the conversation out, finding no desire to listen to what a small subconscious impression of Skuld, the youngest of the Norn sisters, had to say about the demon. She instead turned her attention once more to Belldandy. "You know, you never act this way when you're awake. Now I see that half of Urd's sense of humor is as much her father's as it is her mothers."

Belldandy's smile was wicked, and so out of place on the younger woman's face that an involuntary shudder raced up Mara's spine. "Mara, of all people, I would think that you, being a demon who wanders the dreamscape on a conscious decision on a day to day basis, would know better then anyone that the subconscious is the representative of all that is hidden." She said, a hint of laughter on her voice. "It's one of the reaosns why I thought to talk to you in this manner-even if I am in a more subconscious state of mind, you are still yourself, thus I can still speak to you and know that you'll retain our conversation even when you return to your new friends."

Mara stared at the sky-eyed woman with blank eyes, her mind unsure if what she'd heard was indeed correct. "You...couldn't just call me on a phone like a _normal_ person?" She asked.

Belldandy's face wrinkled up in distaste. "Oh, Dear, come now, you know the cost of over-dimensional calls now a days." She said. "If I were to call you, the transition fees would be horrendous!"

Another long pause as Mara stared at Belldandy.

"You're a lot more reasonable unconscious too, you know."

Belldandy rolled her eyes, something Mara would have said an impossibility coming from the goddess in front of her had there been an actual, real world conversation happening between themselves. "We're getting off subject Mara. Please, let us continue. Do to the current nature of affairs wherever it is you are, I want to return you to your friends as quickly as possible."

Before her, Mara narrowed blood-red eyes in suspicion. "Belldandy..." She said, a warning tone to her voice. "...What do you know that I don't?"

The young woman shrugged dismissively. "I _wish _I knew more." Blue met red. "But what I _can _say is that wherever you are, you and your companions are in a very delicate situation." An earnest concern befell upon the woman's face. "Mara, I could feel your pain from here." She waved to the surrounding area with an outstretched palm, and the demon's eyes widened in surprise. The goddess nodded gently at the confusion that dawned in her companion's features, and continued. "Despite the misgivings we've had in the past, Mara, we still care about you, no matter what the current political status of Heaven and Niflheim claims we should be." _And we know you feel the same way,_ went unsaid, yet so blatantly obvious that Mara could almost see the words forming in front of her face.

"And I keep tabs on the people I care about." Belldandy went on. "As does my sister, as I'm sure you know-that tracking spell she placed on you was left exposed on purpose, as you should have discovered by now." The last part came out in an almost rueful manner, causing Mara to grumble in disgust.

Oh, she knew about _that_ spell, alright. And she'd already solemnly sworn to give Urd a black eye for it the next time she saw the oldest of the Norn's.

"And while I know not your current location, I have done some research on this side and come to discover the one living in the domain you're currently located on is one of a fairly high power." The was a serious to her demeanor that only a subconscious Belldandy could emanate-the Belldandy everyone else knew and loved would never display such a stern expression on her delicate features.

"The deity could be any one of several people, from what I've seen, though I cannot give you more information then that. Just be warned-this one...I cannot tell what extent his powers lie on-his rank has been sealed from my eyes, Mara, and I don't want you to get into something you can't handle. Not all of Heaven's residents are as fond of our infernal counterparts as Urd or myself."

Belldandy reached over and grabbed Mara's hands in her own, squeezing the appendages gently. "I am concerned for your well being, Mara. I do not want you to confront this diety and run the risk of you or him becoming sealed." The mention of a seal sent a shiver down Mara's spine, and quickly the demon yanked her hands away, taking a step away from her companion. And with her step, the world she'd been in dissolved at her movement, leaving nothing but a void in its place. Mara jumped, blonde curls flying in her face as her head swerved from left to right, finding nothing but herself and the dream-Belldandy floating in the gray-space. "Please Mara-do not approach this person. Return to Earth, if you are indeed off world. Come _home, _be it here in Japan or wherever you are resting your head now_._ And bring your friends with you."

With that, Belldandy began to fade as well, merging with the void as the body that housed it slowly began to rouse itself in an old temple on the outskirts of one Nekomi city. Mara blinked at the fading apparition, and Daniel took the Norn's place, the more human concern of the mortal taking the place of the ethereal kindness that resided within every inch of the Norn's body.

"...Ra..."

"...Ara..."

"...Mara..."

Daniel gently slapped the blonde's cheeks, hoping to snap the demon out of the trance she'd somehow managed to fall into in the midst of everything that was happening. "Come _on_ Mara, now is not the time to be doing creepy demony things I don't understand." He said, the archeologist's voice beginning to tremble as he fought to remain calm.

Teal'c would later comment that the one-sided conversation between him and the demon sounded very much like something Jack would say.

Squatting down beside him, Teal'c had taken Mara's body off of Daniel, and was cradling the demon-woman in his arms like a fallen comrade, her eyes blank and soulless as they stared blankly to the canopy of trees above them. "_Please_ Mara, you need to snap out of this funk before another wanna-be assassin comes." It wasn't even that small fact that had Daniel on edge, or even her sudden self-induction into her little trance. But damn it all to hell, those _eyes_ were going to drive him insane.

He'd seen too many fallen friends with eyes like those.

The only time they returned through the stargate was to a casket.

It had been so random and unpredictable as well. One minute she'd been leaning against him, catching her breath, the next, she was...gone. There'd been no warnings, no indications of the sudden trance, only the sudden weight of a dead body piled on top of him, the breath that had been so evident before vanishing with the wind.

After Teal'c had pulled the demon off him, he'd called Jack and Sam to inform them of the current situation. He'd been able to get in contact with Sam. She claimed she'd make her way there as quickly as possible-a conversation held thirty minutes ago.

But he'd only gotten static on Jack's end.

Another reason to wake Mara up and get the hell out off the planet.

_I don't even _want _to know what these people's idea's of 'purification' are._ Daniel thought, looking over at Mara, where the markings that showed her for a demon had once more appeared, the only sign of life as they pulsed a soft, angry red. And then her body lurched upwards, as though possessed, as Daniel watched in amazement as _life_, an honest-to-god spark of _life_ dawned in the setting red sun of Mara's eyes, the slit pupils that were so characteristic of her expanding and contracting before coming to focus on Daniel's face.

The young man's face broke into a relived smile. "Oh thank God." He said with a grin, Mara returning his smile with a frown of her own, reminding him of just what she was. "...Or not...?" He said cautiously, watching as the blood red eyes left his face to wander the surrounding clearing, trying to once more gain her bearings. The frown deepened when they met Teal'c's face, hovering above her own.

"You saved me from that arrow, didn't you?" Mara asked after a long pause, catching and holding the dark man's eyes with her own. A soft incline of the head was her only response, and Mara found herself nodding distractedly, the blonde demon's mind running a marathon as ideas and plans came to fruition in her head.

"Then I owe you my life."

The words caught both men off guard, neither having expected such a revelation to be made by the demon who was their current ally. As she carefully shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, Teal'c's embrace falling away with her movement, Mara allowed a small smirk to align her face as the demon felt the waves of shock and surprise roll off the two mortals bodies. Timing was everything, after all.

Yet what she'd said had not been a lie-the conclusion had come to her upon seeing Teal'c's face and recalling the arrow he'd snatched from the air, the very same one that was aimed for her chest, so blessed and filled with good charm that even a third-dimensional item such as an arrow would pierce her skin and bury itself in her heart.

Yes...unfortunately, there was no way around it-one of the mortal's she'd become stuck to had actually saved her life, and even Mara, a demon with a literal license to kill, had some sense of honor about her.

Besides, as the saying went; No good deed went unpunished.

Daniel looked back in the direction the arrow had fallen, an inquisitive look on his face before turning back to Mara and Teal'c. As the demon rolled to the balls of her feet and pushed herself up, Daniel copied her, brows furrowed together as he fought to puzzle some great conundrum out. "Mara, was that arrow really so lethal?" He inquired, wondering what element was left out of the equation, what part of the arrow Mara would have thought so lethal.

After all, this was the same person who'd accidentally detonated a grenade in her hands when returning the weapons they'd had to the armory prior their first mission. And come out of the smoke and debris with only a mussed and torn uniform to show her troubles. The same woman whom, after Hild had _somehow_ gotten a hold of a zat, had been shot _five times_, taking each and every zap as though she'd been hit with a rather strong static shock-not the ray of an alien weapon meant to kill at two, disintegrate at three.

How the hell could an arrow _ever_ be considered lethal by comparison?

The archeologist watched in puzzlement as the woman tensed, falling into a mental war with herself as she grit her teeth in frustration. Finally, a look of defeat appeared on her face and the demon sighed, all traces of some inner battle with herself vanishing from her expression.

"Good luck charms."

Daniel and Teal'c stared, neither one quite understanding what it was she was trying to say.

Another long, drawn out sigh, this one accompanied with a half-hearted glare between the two mortals in her company. "I'm allergic to them, alright?" She snapped. "It's why I've been so 'off', as you put if Daniel." The demon shivered reflexively, staring accusingly off in the direction the arrow had disappeared to. "This whole village is filled with nothing _but_ good luck charms. I've been feeling sick since we entered this blessed place, half the time feeling like I'm going to vomit, the other half like I'm going to die by static electricity!" She snarled, falling into a rant as the demon wheeled around, punching the tree that, minutes earlier, had held a wistful assassin.

As though to prove her point, several insignia that had previously gone undisturbed illuminated, and a bolt of blue electricity raced across the gloved hand that had created a rather ugly dent in the aged wood. The woman yelped, quickly withdrawing a hand that now pulsated with a positive energy that Mara could consider deadly in heavy enough doses. Mara stared at her hand angrily, watching the blues residue sparks dissipate into the atmosphere, her hand numb from the energy. Red eyes narrowed in rage. "...And it's that son of a bitch who leads these people that's the cause of this!" Mara howled, wheeling around to face her comrades once more, a fierce, inhuman snarl on her face that highlighted the more demonic features about her.

Daniel stared at the raging woman in alarm, torn between fear of the raging creature growing in front of him and concern for the demon woman who'd been a part of his team for little over a week. Finally he settled on a happy median.

"Mara, why didn't you _tell_ us?" Daniel felt his own voice raise as he glared at the blonde demon. "Do you honestly think we'd have stayed in this village if we'd known it was making you _ill_?" Never mind the fact that anyone, a demon no less, being allergic to lucky charms sounded utterly ridiculous. He'd come across stranger things before.

He just couldn't think of any at that particular moment.

The look Mara sent the scientist's way was more then enough to answer his question, and in his disgust, Daniel through his hands in the air. "_Seriously?"_ He demanded. "You actually thought...where would you...damn it, Mara, _why_ would you think something like that?"

A somber glare was the only answer he got in response.

It was Teal'c who brought the impending fight to an end before it had a chance to flourish.

"Enough."

The word was spoken quietly, yet with such a force, such a _presence_ behind it, that both would-be combatants found their mouths locking shut as though under a spell, two pairs of contrasting eyes, one as gentle as a calm sea, the other as volatile as the blood of a volcano, focusing on the dark Jaffa that had been temporarily forgotten. "Now is not the time for issues of trust to arise." Teal'c continued. "I grow concern. I have heard nothing of either O'Neil or Major Carter since the attack. I fear something has happened to them." He turned his attention solely on Mara, where destructive red eyes narrowed at his words. "Lieutenant Jotun, in your various abilities, is there no way to tell the status of our companions?"

The demon hesitated, at Daniel leaped at the opening. "You already know, don't you?" He demanded, watching as his accusation was proven correct with a tensing of the woman's shoulders. "Was that what that trance was? Did you sense what what happening to them or something?" The man ran a hand through hair cropped short in his frustration, Mara regarding him with only a scornful expression as her reply.

"Where my mind went with that arrow is none of your damned business." Mara finally growled out, squaring her shoulders as she came to some internal decision. "But you're right-I can sense where O'Neil and Carter are." She held up a finger for silence as Daniel mouth opened to vocalize some statement. "_However_ I also know what we're going up against, and believe me, it's no demon."

As Mara lowered her hand, Daniel raised his, displaying two fingers. "Alright, then." He said. "Two things: Is it a threat to us, and if so, can we beat it as we are now?"

The demon snorted. "Is it a threat to _you?_ No. _Me?_ Yes. Can the two of _you _beat it as you are now? Highly doubtful. Can I? Possibly." Mara lowered her voice, motioning for the two males in her company to approach her. As the did as bidden, she said, "Listen carefully you two. We aren't facing a Goa'uld or jaffa or even these 'replicator' thingamagigs I've heard you guys mention in the past. What is on this planet can and will strike you down if it thinks you're associated with a demon like me in any way other then blind ignorance of what I am." She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. "Now, I have a plan on how to go about this whole situation, but I need your guy's full support behind it." She closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. Red eyes met the two individuals for several seconds-seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity. Finally Mara spoke once more.

"I need you to trust me."

* * *

She found him several miles outside the village he'd come to call his own, sitting on a large outcropping boulder, the large battle axe she'd first seen him with resting gently at his side. A stream trickled next to the boulder, singing a gentle tune as it flowed past him and through the trees nestled around him.

It hadn't been difficult to find him. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn he'd _wanted_ her to find him with the way he'd radiated his dimension sigil that told her _exactly _who he was radiating from the forest like a bright banner. She'd already been a fair distance close to the ending bounderies of the village-a quick run through the forest, and she was out of the harm of the village luck. From there it was only a short flight above the canopy and to the contrasting light emitting from the forest.

He opened his eyes as she landed a short distance away from him.

The blue markings that spoke of a god with a second-class limited license had appeared on his face. Three inverted arrow heads aligned his forehead and cheeks, their color a familiar blue that sparked something hostile deep within her soul.

She didn't like gods encroaching on her contracts.

Or those associated with them.

This one had done both.

She narrowed contrasting red eyes at the god as he looked to her, an all-knowing smile on his face that only seemed to enrage her further.

"So, you are still here, despite the warning I sent you." He said, sliding from his rock with a grace that belied his older body and landing silently on the dead foliage underneath. With an inhumane agility the man snatched his weapon, twirling the large, bulky weapon in between his fingers as though it were little more then an overly-large pen.

A snarl no human throat was ever meant to produce escaped her throat. "You did a stupid thing, Mimir." She said, calling him by the name his sigil recognized him as rather then the human title he'd given the mortals Mara associated with. "I thought you were smarter then that. Guess the rumors of your wisdom were wrong."

Lifetimes of being one of the Daimakaicho's favorite demons had left Mara more then a little adapt at reading body language-one quickly learned to tell the mood of one's master by the slight flick of a wrist, the sudden squaring of shoulders, or even something as minute as a flicker within the eyes-and now she found herself putting her abilities to a new use, watching the sudden stiffening in the man's posture and knowing she'd hit a chord somewhere. "...Or perhaps you're just helpless without your well around..." She added, taking a wild swing and wondering if she'd strike out.

She hit a home run.

The man's shoulder's stiffened at her comment, and a snarl of his own rose on his face, overtaking his smirk just as a smirk overtook her snarl, the roles suddenly reversed as she found herself leading their little dance. Still, the gleam of an ax kept her from growing arrogant, reminding her to proceed with caution.

"Have you no regards for the doublet system?" She asked, taking a different approach as the demon brough up the sole system preventing demons and their divine cousins from killing each other at the cost of losing one of their own. "What if you'd killed me? How do you know I'm not your doublet, or better yet, someone close to you? Their death would be on your hands."

Across from her, the man snorted in disdain. "Doublet system?" He asked with a laugh. "A worthless program created in the hopes of preventing various deaths that will happen regardless of circumstance once Ragnarok comes about." His eyes gleamed in a light that was not natural, hidden underneath the canopy of wooden giants as they were.

Those eyes sent a shiver down Mara's spine, and despite herself, she took a step back, recognition dawning in her chest and a realization she'd never wished for grabbing her by the throat and tearing down to her heart. She'd heard of no one, divine or damned, speak of the Doublet System with such disdain before. Not even from Hagall, a demon rebel who'd once wished to overthrow Hild from her position as Daimakaicho. Not even the Daimakaicho herself. And to speak with such casualty about the end of existence...Ragnorok was a sensitive subject, even among the demon-kin. No one liked to think of the death that had once been predicted for each and every tenth-dimensional being in existance. Yet to speak as though such a thing were the norm...

Mimir was insane.

* * *

"You know, as much as I enjoy the hospitality, I _really_ think we should be going now."

Jack's words went virtually unheard by his audience, and with an angry grunt, Jack turned away, kicking the wall of his temporary cell and coming away with nothing to show for it but a sore foot. The colonel wasn't quite sure how he and the still unconscious Carter had winded up in the cell, only that the old man, Murtha, was somehow responsible.

What had SG-1 done wrong _this_ time? He briefly wondered, gritting his teeth as he touched one of the barred windows and getting a nasty alien shock for his troubles. The silver-haired man watched as some alien insignia flashed across the entire window, glowing an alien green before fading into oblivion once more.

Everything had been going surprisingly well, from what Jack had been able to tell. But they must have done _something_ wrong somewhere, for when it came time to return to discussions between SG-1 and the village elder, O'Neil had found himself instead suddenly encaged in some sort of alien technology, one who's green was a match to the strange insignia he'd found on any possible escapes within his current cell.

A strange, blue aura engulfing the villagers, their leader at the front of the pack with odd blue markings reminiscent of Mara's red ones, were the last things he'd seen before loosing himself to oblivion.

The colonel had found himself alone upon awakening.

He didn't need to wait long, however, for someone else to join him. When they'd thrown Carter, unconcious most likely by the same device that had knocked him out, into the cell with him, Murtha had taken a step into the cell as well.

_You both are tainted._ He recalled the words, still fresh and haunting in his mind. _The demon you've made a contract with is the source. You made a mistake in creating a contract with such a foul creature. But it is only to be expected. Mortals are like children in their ignorance of _our kind_. Thus, I will forgive your foolishness, as the people whom are with you have shown nothing but good intentions. I shall rid you of this evil creature, and release you from the contract she has bound you to. Your souls shall be purified, and then set free._

The guy was a nut case. There was no other way to put it. Jack had seen that same type of insanity in Murtha's eyes as he had in religious fanatic's SG-1 had the unfortunate encounter of stumbling onto in the past. The type who weren't even power hungry-they honestly believed that what they were doing was for the greater good of whoever or whatever they believed in. Zealots were often times the most dangerous brand of people Jack ever had the misfortune of meeting.

And that wasn't even taking into consideration the fact that somehow, the old geezer knew what Mara actually was.

"And I would really rather be long gone through the 'gate before this guy decides to 'purify' our souls." Jack muttered aloud, glancing once more to the unconscious Carter before looking through the bars of their cell once more. "And with whatever technology this guy is using, I want to make sure we _all _get out of here." Sure Mara claimed to be able to handle herself regardless of any situation, but Teal'c had come to him before his capture stating that something in the village was causing Mara harm. If that were true, and Mr. Zealot discovered it, Jack didn't want the old elder to exploit it.

He knew first-hand what desperate people were capable of in life-threatening situations. He didn't want to think about what that meant for a demon.

"Careful Jack-if you keep thinking along those lines, someone might get the impression that you really _care _for your little wayward demon."

Jack jumped at the unfamiliar voice, a small part of him wondering if he was hallucinating as he wheeled around. Nothing but the KO'd Major greeted his eyes. Laughter, musical yet grating, reverberated through the room, bouncing off the walls and humming in his bones. Jack gritted his teeth, eyes darting around as he sought out its owner.

Still nothing.

The colonel growled softly. "You know, as much as I appreciate making someone else's day, I'd really appreciate it if you showed yourself." Brown eyes narrowed. "After all, where I'm from, it's considered rude not to introduce yourself upon a meeting."

More amused laughter. "Ah, but Jack, my Dear, we've already met." Something yanked hard at the back of his head, pulling his hair with a force he didn't think possible with how short it was. O'Neil's head jerked backwards fast enough for his neck to pop, and brown eyes met violet.

Hild was staring down at him.

The colonel froze, biting back the shout that was clawing it's way through his throat. Instead, dark eyes widened in recognition, then narrowed in suspicion. The woman who could have passed for a more adult version of the child his team had brought back through the 'gate smiled, revealing pearly white teeth in a tiger's grin. "Such a look, Colonel O'Neil." The woman cooed, and Jack could feel nails dig painfully into his scalp. "Whatever have I done to earn such suspicion? _Especially _from the man who rescued me from those evil 'snake-heads', as you seem so fond of calling them." There was a dangerous, _frightening_ gleam in the intruder's eyes. _Daddy! Don't let the monsters get me! They're watching me, Daddy, in the closet, under the bed, within the shadows-they're going to eat me! Don't let me get eaten Daddy!_ Charlie's voice echoed in Jack's wars, eyes a shade no human ever wore bearing into him.

Jack could recall several times in the past when Charlie would come crying to Sarah and him in the middle of the night, screaming of creatures that only existed within the mind of a child. He remembered how he or Sarah would calm the boy, dry his tears and reassure him that there were no such things as monsters.

If only those words were true.

"It's a shame adults never listen to the observations of the young, isn't it?" As though reading his mind, the platinum haired woman spoke once more, her voice rythmic and harmonous as she shifted whatever stance she held him under ever-so-slightly. It wasn't much, nothing Jack could use to his advantage, however, it did reveal to the man the red stars that aligned her face, the six pointed star imprinted on the woman's head an eerie familiar to the Jaffa who, once upon a time, had brought to his team a small, scared little girl who's features were as otherworldly as the woman towering above him.

And those eyes...there was _nothing_ human in those eyes. Hell, even the goddamned _Replicators_ were more human then the eyes he was staring into. "What the hell are you?" For all the room was dead silent, Jack's voice came out a whisper, the primitive reptile in his brain seeming to sense a predator the likes of none other, and falling back on the days when survival was key. After all, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, Jack already _knew_ who he was talking to-again, the old reptile in the back of his skull was telling him that the creature holding him captive was indeed the little girl SG-1 had brought home with them.

"Now now Jack. That is no way to speak to a woman." The hands that held his head released their grip on Jack's hair, and the man instantly pulled back, stumbling several steps away from the stranger-no _Hild-_before turning around to face the woman once more. Messaging a neck that had grown sore from the manner in which it had been held, Jack bared his teeth in a snarl, dark eyes targeting the woman as he moved to examine his opponent.

She was tall, taller then Teal'c, if Jack were to make any sort of comparison, her dress so outwordly and exotic that, had he not already had a small idea of who and what she was, he might have mistaken her for a Goa'uld at first-glance. Although he was fairly certain that not even a snake was as imaginative as the outfit that adorned the demon. Silver hair, similar to a little girl's, had only grown more wild and untameable as an adult, held back by nothing but a decorative headpeiece, various beads and other miscellaneous items. Her jewelry consisted of heavily bejeweled rings for the most part, as well as a pair of black feathers from some unknown animal dangling from each ear. The entire outfit gave her an exotic, otherworldly look, and once again, an all-too familiar question roamed Jack's mind. _What have I gotten myself into _this _time? _

"What have you indeed?" Hild's voice was a soft purr as the woman planted her hands on her hips, leaning forward ever-so-slightly and causing the hair on the back of Jack's neck to rise in alarm. The view of certain...aspects of her body were revealed to him in more then one way, and quickly he centered his gaze on the woman's face, refusing to allow such a tactic to distract him.

Hild raised a platinum eyebrow in amusement before straightening once more. "I suppose I could tell you what you children have thrown yourselves into this time. However, my services, like any other demon's, come at a price." One elegant, bejewled hand parted from her hip, offering itself to Jack with an open palm. "So tell me, Jack. What are you willing to pay in exchange for the lives of your friends?"

_She gasped as the ax swept through the tree that she'd been using for a barrier. A sound of splintering wood, and the tree fell, exposing the demon once more to the god. His smile was insane, filled with an alien bloodlust, and again he swung his weapon at her._

_She ducked, falling to the ground and rolling out of the path of the incomeing blade, a small explosion erupting from the force of the blow upon the ground. She scrambled to her feet, dirt and debris hailing down upon her and further dirting her already soiled clothes. A shout, a point, and a burst of hellfire soared onto the weapon, eagerly traveling up the pole arm and consuming flesh._

_He howled in pain, yet her victory was short lived. Runes of an alien origin alighted the weapon, and the fire dissipated into the air, leaving behind an arm that was unscathed. He said something to her in a language time forgot, and her eyes widened as he screamed a word of power._

_The surrounding forest illuminated with a foreign holy light, and she screamed as the spell struck her down._

"What do you mean? Is this a threat?" Jack's fingers instinctively twitched for a weapon he didn't have, and the man growled as he recalled his weapons, left alone in a room amidst the presence of an enemy passing itself off as an ally.

Hild narrowed her eyes, and in his mind Jack could hear the whispers and screams of the damned and forsaken, sending a chill like none he'd ever felt in the past down the colonel's spine. "Do not mistake me for some common villain, Colonel O'Neil. The Daimakaicho does not make threats-only deals." She withdrew her extended hand, crossing it on it's sibling over her chest in displeasure. "And I will give you this one piece of advice free-there is a fallen god on this planet, little man, one who is not of the serpents you constantly do battle against."

_She writhed in pain, her voice leaving her as something akin to electricity ran through her soul. Blue bolts tinged with a green specific to his magic traced her form, biting like a ravenous dog gnaws at a rat._

"You made a contract, Little Man, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. Since the moment Nidhogg recognized it, Maa-chan has become you're responsibility."

* * *

A/N: If I ever come across any sort of MANPADS in real life, I swear to the Almighty I'll figure out a way to shove it up someone's arse. That aside, as usual, I start writing a chapter and then some how manage to add several things that had never been planned on to the roughdraft. Like the conversaiton between Bell and Mara. And so we'll have to wait another chapter before things get really good. Sorry about that.

It also feels like I'm starting to loose my edge on my stories. I feel like my thoughts are starting to become more random then not, jumping from one subject of interest to another without warning or explanation. I may reach the point where I'll need a beta reader for my stories, if only to catch me when I jump and make sure the flow of the story is strong and smooth. If anyone is interested with this sort of thing, feel free to drop me a line-I've never looked into acquireing a Beta reader before, so this whole process is relativly new to me.


	15. When It All Falls Apart 2

"You made a contract, Little Man, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. Since the moment Nidhogg recognized it, Maa-chan has become you're responsibility."

Silver brows furrowed together in confusion. "My responsibility?" Jack asked. "What are you talking about? You're speaking in riddles, Lady, jumping from one thing to the next like a hyperactive squirrel-none of what you're saying is making any sense."

An ominous laugh. "What it means, dear child, is that somehow, I entrusted on to you one of my best agents. Everything she does, anything that happens with her, is and will be reflected upon you. She is one of your officers now, after all-and as Maa-chan's superior, you need to make sure she isn't handling something too big for her."

_Like she is now._

Jack fell silent, musing over Hild's words carefully. "Who are you?" He finally asked. "No more bullshit-I want a straight-up answer. Who are you? Are you a demon? A little girl? A woman? What? Who are you and what are you trying to get from me?" The colonel was tired of this game Hild was playing with him. It felt like a wild goose chase, running after a non-existent tail that he knew wasn't there. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Slowly, a smile dawned on the woman's face, and Jack was certain her next words would damn him, if Mara had not already done so. "I am the Leader of Demons, Daimakaicho Hild." She said, crossing one leg over the other and rising in the air, reclining in a chair that was non-existent. "And I want you to make the god of this world suffer."

* * *

One who knew too much.

And had been driven to the brink of insanity and beyond for his knowledge. One of Heaven's dirty little secrets, they'd thrown him down to the third-dimension, sealed his rank, let him stay hidden on a planet that was little more then a pile of dirt. They'd watched him, sure, but so long as he showed no signs of trouble, they let him be-rambling and mad, creating one ward after another in preparations for an incident that might take generations to be ignited.

Mortals came.

And still, they'd let him be. They watched as he destroyed a false god and returned to his former glory as a true god, if only within the eyes of the people he'd claimed as his own.

Yet where mortals go, demons are sure to follow, and so the infernal realm came upon his discovery.

They could do nothing. The wards on the planet were so thick that it was near-suicidal to attempt to stop his progression.

He created an imbalance, tipping scales that should have stayed balanced with an ease of holy magic that tainted everything it touched.

Disgusting.

Forced to use some sort of catalyst of a human origin, the infernal realm could do nothing but watch in anger as, little by little, the planet and it's denizens slowly tipped the scales in Heaven's fortune.

The Lord of Terror

The destruction of a dependency for catalysts.

It was only a matter of time before the Daimakaicho found a means with which to once again even out the scales on the planet.

SG-1 and the demon in their presence was her answer.

After all, there would be consequences for a demon's involvement with a god, even one as insane as the one banished to this dirt hole of a planet.

But that said nothing for the mortals who'd accompanied the demon to the world.

Staring down at the man who'd wormed his way into her precious Nidhogg database, Hild smiled.

_It's time to put an end to this imbalance._

* * *

"Jack!"

A thump, a smash, and Daniel and Teal'c burst into the room Mara had claimed held their military counterparts, a look of worry on Daniel's face as he sought out the man who was his friend. "Sam?"

It was the Major he first laid eyes on, propped up in a corner of the room and nursing her head as though she had a bad headache. There were no signs of any sort of physical abuse on her end, and two pairs of blue eyes lit up as they met.

"Sam, are you alright?" He asked, making his way toward the woman as Teal'c moved to cover his six, back turning to the archaeologist and gaze turning to the newly destroyed door, staff weapon dropping to focus on the world outside.

Mara had been more reliable then Daniel had initially believed, it seemed. The spell she'd cast on the duo was claimed to have been a locater spell, but the scientist hadn't been sure he believed it until the strange glow that Mara claimed was supposed to represent Jack and Sam's aura had wafted into his view. The second, less impressive spell of inattention allowed them to pass through the village Jack and Sam were locked up in unnoticed and unhassled.

Actually, Daniel thought that spell was more useful then the locater spell. Jack would have given an arm and a leg for such an ability several times over in the past, when SG-1 had angered one local population or found themselves being chased by another group of hostile Jaffa. Yet the location spell still had it's use, though the archaeologist was more then a little curious as the second, almost unnoticeable aura that arose on several areas of Sam's body.

_I wonder if that's the supposed 'taint' that Murtha was talking about._

They were dark areas, where it looked as though the blue that was Sam's natural aura had been bathed in some sort of shadow, darkening the usual bright areas into a murkier shade. He'd already noticed several such areas on himself and Teal'c after Mara had let the spell go into effect, his own aura a shade of blue perhaps one or two shades of blue lighter then Sam's, while Teal'c's was an odd shade of purple. Mara's had been a deadly red when he'd looked over at her, and closer inspection of both Teal'c and himself revealed small areas where the two individual auras had been tainted with Mara's red, something the demon claimed was typical of any mortal that stayed within the presence of a demon or god for an extended period of time.

Sam's aura was no exception either. However, unlike Daniel or Teal'c, the officer's aura had a second, underlaying darkness to it that Daniel couldn't associate with Mara. And the way it seemed to _constrict_ Sam's aura, rather then simply blend or meld into it the way Mara's did on his...it looked like the woman had been poisoned.

Carter's smile was more then a little constrained as she slowly rose to her feet, her hand still attached to her head as though the area caused her pain. The major looked pass the young man and towards Teal'c, and a look of relief passed across her features. She turned her gaze back to Daniel, an unspoken question in her eyes.

The archaeologist shrugged. "Mara said she wanted to stop Murtha." He said. "She claimed the guy was going to be trouble, and that we need to head back to the 'gate ASAP..." The man felt his voice fade as the color drained from Sam's face. "Sam? What is it?"

The major's mouth opened and closed several times, and a look of despair rose on her face. She placed a hand to her throat and shook her head, a look of panic rising on her face. _I can't talk!_

The constricting darkness, Daniel noted, seemed especially present around her neck.

Daniel stared silently at the poor woman for several seconds, then released several curses, none of which existed in the English language.

"Jack." He decided. "What about Jack? Do you know where he is?" If Sam couldn't talk, maybe Jack could? At least until they got Sam some sort of writing material, or had enough time where she might be able to tap out a message in Morse code.

If anything, the color that had drained from the young woman's face disappeared entirely, turning Sam as white as a ghost. Daniel felt a knot tighten in his stomach as slowly, Sam nodded her head, pointing to an area somewhere behind Daniel.

The man twisted his head, looking behind him as best he could without turning his body and finding no sign of the silver-haired man that was SG-1's leader. He turned back to Sam, finding the woman still looking past him, staring at something only she seemed to see. The archaeologist turned, actively following the pointing finger to a crate before pointing to the object in question as well. He looked back at Sam for confirmation. She nodded, slowly, cautiously.

He approached the box.

And that was when the labored breaths reached his ears, tired and struggling, sounding almost as though they belonged to a dying animal.

"Jack?" A weariness he was starting to become all too familiar with rose within him, and Daniel slowed his step, something screaming in the back of his mind that what was behind the box was not something he was going to want to see.

He purposefully ignored it.

A mass of darkness laid behind the crate.

Daniel withdrew, a gasp escaping his throat as he head whipped behind him to Sam. Sam nodded her head, and Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked back to the creature behind the crate, his hands instinctively moving to his weapon. "Jack?"

Another strangled gasp from the writhing mass of darkness, and Daniel pulled away, his eyes feeling like they were about to pop out of his skull as he fought tooth and nail against a sudden, instinctive urge to flee.

No.

Closer inspection revealed there was, in fact, a person within the mass of darkness. So heavily tainted with some unknown poison that there was nothing left of Jack's original aura-a color Daniel wouldn't honestly be able to say he knew with the amount of darkness wafting from the poor man's body.

Jack lay twitching in the middle of the mass, the strangled gasps and wheezes of a man fighting for his life the only sound that escaped him as the colonel tried to bury deeper into himself. Curled into a fetal position of pain and suffering, the officer seemed blind to the world around him, incapable of focusing on any one thing, let alone the scientist calling his friend's name.

Daniel swore once more-something he'd later realize he'd been doing more often with the arrival of a demon in their group, and looked once more to Sam. "What happened?" He asked, fear for his friend making his words biting.

Yet Sam could do nothing but shake her head, a look of regret in her eyes. _I know more, but I can't say what._

A grunt caused all present to divert their attention once more to the crate, and a hiss, one that sounded like the melting of acid through steel, permeated the room. A hand rose to grasp the top of the crate for support, and the digits connected penetrated the wood as though it were little more then paper. Jack's figure slowly, painstakingly lurched to its feet, and despite the initial concern for his friend, Daniel felt himself take a step back, fear racing up his spine.

Bolts of violet electricity raced across his arms, and eyes that had once been a familiar brown seemed to have been submerged within a pool of red. He looked as though he'd been bathed in a never ending shadow-one that seemed to move with his actions, following him wherever he went. His steps were staggered, as though the man bore some unobserved weight that burdened him with each step. The singed print of a military combat boot trailed after his walk.

"J-Jack?"

The man-was he still a man? What had become of his friend? It felt as though nothing but darkness remained.-Turned his gaze to Daniel, and from within Daniel saw something that could only be described as 'infernal' within the gaping red pools that had once displayed brown eyes.

"_Mara."_

The word came out an incomprehensible snarl, only understood by the recognition of the word his mouth formed.

"_Where is Mara?"_

He was making his way to the door, and around him the rest of SG-1 found no desire to stop him, moving out of his way, almost jumping away from the man lest they catch whatever strange power that had possessed him. Even Teal'c, stoic as he was, was more then intimidated by the creature that had overtaken his comrade, moving outside and keeping his staff weapon lowered and leveled at the man that was Jack, lest some great ravenous beast burst from the man's form and rip his throat out.

Jack looked to the Jaffa, but otherwise made no motion towards the warrior, showing as much interest at the weapon ready to blow him apart as one would a tree.

He walked-staggered?-past the larger man, leaving the rest of his team behind in the silence of terrified animals locked in the presence of a predator.

And then Sam was chasing after him, a wild, near-insane smile on her face as a noise that Daniel could not pass off as laughter erupted from her throat.

He ran after her, entering the hallway with Teal'c and watching in horror as Jack came to a halt in front of a wall. The duo watched as Sam slowed her pace to a stop behind her leader, watched as a shadowy tendril rose from Jack's body, latching on to Sam's aura and further darkening it. Watched as the monster that had once been a man reached a hand that sparkled with violet energy out to touch the wall.

Daniel screamed as a hole blew outwards, his cries mixing with the horror filled shrieks of those outside who'd been caught in the blast.

The two military members paused, watching in a frightening curiosity at the chaos the hole had wrought, and then turned as one towards the remaining half of their team.

Sam's smile was insane.

Jack's smile was bloodthirsty.

And then the two were gone, through the hole and to the world outside, where the screams of villagers only seemed to rise, mixing with a laughter no sane man could ever utter.

The massacre had begun.

* * *

She'd stopped breathing. It was too much of a mental strain to even bring forth the effort to fill her lungs with the substance that gave the creatures of this plane the ability to survive. She didn't need it. She'd only done it to fit in better with the image of a regular human, and after a while, it had become habitual. But now, her mouth tasting of dirt and something she was dimly aware of as her own blood, she found that the habit had died with the human she'd been hiding as. The world was incomprehensible to her senses. Half of consciousness with the third-dimensional body residing on the planet her contract was on, the other half having left for a higher plane of existence.

"_First-Class demon Marller requesting emergency acquisition of Special Class Goetia level spells." Gone was the SG uniform that had been issued her. Such an article remained with her other half, the part of her that allowed for interaction with the mortals of the third-dimensional plane. The woman in it's place, standing before the great serpent that was Nidhogg, was dressed in a more tradition garb-one of foreign silks and feathers, speaking of her position within the infernal realm._

_An eye that was twice her size flashed an angry red several stories over her head, and a soft, gentle feminine voice filled the atmosphere. "First-Class demon Marller, requesting for acquisition of Special Class Goetia level spell; initializing..."_

Mimir slowly approached the fallen demon, a tired, victorious smile on his face. "Do you see now? How pointless it is to fight for life, knowing death awaits you?" He towered over the woman's fallen form, eyes of a madman meeting the darkened red eyes of his opponent. Blank, dark, lifeless, like so many souls he'd seen in his well. This was the fate of his kind. Once Ragnarök was initiated, nothing but the peace This One now felt awaited them. "I am almost envious of you, demon. To finally feel the peace of death...I wish I could join you, almost."

The god shook his head. "Nay, nay such a thing is not possible yet though. I most live, to ensure the rest of my kin reach the same peace you have been granted." A booted foot shoved the demon onto her back, little more then a rag-doll to his motions. The man kneeled down, moving a stray lock of hair from the demon's face, revealing a face muddied with the fresh damp soil of the earth. He wiped the soil away, shifting to stand once more.

"You remind me of someone I knew, once upon a time." His sigh was wistful almost-his bright eyes dimming for a brief moment of time as the man recalled a time long past, a time when he'd been younger, ignorant of the fate that was to accompany his type, be they divine or damned. A brief moment of sanity returned to him as he looked to the heavens. "She was a beauty, That One...I never did learn what became of her though..."

With a groan he moved to his full height once more, the foot he'd used to roll the woman onto her back moving once more over her head. Gently, he rested the appendage on the side of her face. "I suppose, when Ragnarök comes to claim me, I shall find her once again and inquire what ever became of her..."

He paused, the foot about to destroy her head rising off the woman's face. He frowned. Something was not right...

Around him, the runes he'd engraved in the trees, once upon a time long long ago, began to glow uneasily.

Yes...Something was very wrong...

He removed the boot from the woman's head, instead moving to brush one of the wards engraved into the trunk of a near-by tree. He narrowed his eyes. What was causing such a disturbance?

His fingers touched the old gnarled wood, and-

-_and his smile was cruel, pointing at another man, one unfortunate enough to have made eye contact with him. The Daimakaicho's magic raced through his body, leaving him in favor for a victim which it hungrily devoured. The villager shrieked, The Daimakaicho's magic diving in and out of his flesh like a hungry worm, leaning nothing but large, singed gaping holes in it's wake. He looked to his side, where his Second launched a fist into another victim's chest._

_Possessed in a manner different from him, there was a sickening crunch as her fist impacted, penetrating the villager's body and destroying the organs inside. She withdrew a hand black with blood. Having not been possessed with the magic that currently resided within his body, she'd come to rely on the natural weapons that made a human's body such a dangerous weapon. And with a residual strength left to her from a possession by one other demon, she used her abilities to the fullest._

_She looked over at him, her eyes wild and dancing, an expression of insanity on her features._

_Somewhere behind them, horror driven screams-ones from his comrade, not The Enemy, reached his ears, begging with him, pleading with him to stop. A burst of energy struck his back, and he turned, barely aware that it had come from the Jaffa's staff weapon. He tilted his head to the large dark man in curiosity, as though silently questioning the reason why his comrade decided to shoot him in the back._

_The Jaffa and scientist both shouted something to him, the vision impaired man waving his hands in front of him as though trying to reason with him. But the words made little sense to him-a sacrifice for the temporary use of the Daimakaicho's power._

_Not that it mattered. The Daimakaicho had given him and his Second orders, and it was his duty to follow them out. Anything else would have to wait for the time being. _

"_Where are you?" He asked, speaking in a language not his own, hunting for a prey he could not kill. "I know you're here somewhere. Where are you? What have you done with my demon?"_

_He paused, sensing the gaze of the one watching him, and a devious smile aligned his face. He turned._

_The possessed red eyes of Colonel Jack O'Neil met the insane divine blue eyes of the banished god Mimir._

"I found you."

_He laughed._

_She laughed as well._

_Their massacre continued, a purpose, a goal in mind as the two demon-possessed Tau'ri officers began slaughtering a path that would lead to the mad god and the demon in his clutches._

Slowly, he withdrew his hand, a look of rising horror on his face. The demon...He looked back to his fallen opponent, a rage filling him as he stared down at her fallen form. He was going to destroy her.

"You..." His voice was quiet, a whisper barely above the wind in the trees. "It is because of _you_!" He snarled, grabbing his ax from where he'd rested it on a tree trunk, for all the world about to cut the demon's body up into bit's and pieces.

"I'll destroy this body."

He raised the ax over his head.

"And feed it to the mortals you and your ilk have brought to my world!"

He brought the ax down.

"May the fools die from the poisoning of your flesh!"

"_Initialization complete." Nidhogg's voice rang throughout the Infernal Realm, deepening and broadening into Hild's more distinctive tone. "Make him suffer for me Marller. I want him to remember us for when Ragnarök begins. _We_ may not be the ones who end him, but we will damned well be the ones who make him fall to his slayer."_

_The eye that was Nidhogg's shifted, and Hild's smiling face replaced it. "Go out and have some fun, Sin-Mara." She cooed. "Show him what a demon with a first-class license is capable of."_

Mara's body rolled out of the way, the ax embedding itself in the area her chest had been mere seconds ago. A crater arose from the strength of the impact, chunks of dirt and small rock impacting the demon-woman's uniform. Yet if it affected her in any way, shape, or form, Mara showed no indications, her body instead wrapping around the man's legs, a vicious looking blade appearing in her hand.

With a laughter that brought forth memories of why hers was a race called 'demons', she sliced into the back of the man's heels, feeling metal slice through metal and cloth, muscle and tendon and to the bone underneath. The hamstring muscle supporting the rest of his body severed, the man screamed in pain, the wounded area unleashing a spray of blood that would not have been possible had Mara been using an instrument of the third-dimensional plane.

Mimir collapsed on top of the blond, writhing in a pain so great his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Mara grinned beneath him, his cries a sick and twisted melody that graced her ears. "You were going to feed my flesh to the rest of my team?" Her voice was a soft coo-had he not fallen atop her in a position that brought both their heads close together, it was doubtful Mimir would have even heard Mara's words. "Are you sure you aren't really a demon?"

Nothing but more pained screams answered her, and Mara snickered, crawling out from under the fallen deity with an unnatural ease. The spray of his blood had coated her uniform with a fine red mist, and she looked down at herself in disgust. "I'm going to need to shower when I get home." She muttered to herself, blood-soaked dirt clinging to her body like a second layer of skin. "But I suppose that's neither here nor there, now, is it?" She asked, sitting down beside the fallen deity before her.

The soiled officer crossed her legs, examining the blade she'd withdrawn from her inner pocket with a bored expression on her face. "Do you want to know a secret?" Mimir's screams and cries had faded to little more then pained gasps by now, the wound she'd inflicted on him slowly starting to heal.

That was fine. Hild had said to make him suffer, and she'd yet to feel the acquisition of power needed for the spells she'd requested permission to use. It might take a few seconds, judging by the strange mode of transportation it seemed to be riding on at the moment. How it'd arrived in the village itself, where SG-1 resided, she wasn't sure. A small part of her was even curious what sort of means it was using to reach her.

"I think I'll tell you a secret while we wait." Blood red eyes met pained blue, a furtive smile displaying her fangs. "I'll tell you something not even Urd knows about me. Because once this is all over with, you, my friend, will be a long-term guest of the Goetia demons." Mara tilted her head off to one side and regarded her captive audience in curiosity. "How does that sound?"

Mimir's eyes had widened at the mention of 'Goetia', opening to the point where they looked close to falling out, if given half the chance.

"You see, I'm know by a variety of names, the most common being the one Urd and her kin-divine or damned-are so fond of calling me. 'Mara' is a different person from the person gracing your presence at this particular moment, Mimir." She moved to rest her elbows in her lap, head resting on her hands as she stared at the deity. "I'm still one person, you see, but I've found it's easier to act differently under various different names."

Mimir grunted, a pained expression on his face as he fought through the fog of Mara's words. "Wh...wh..."

"Who am I? What am I? Is that what you're trying to ask?" She shifted, nudging him non-too-gently in the cheek with her weapon. It broke skin, causing the man to hiss once more in pain. The woman frowned. "Come on, it's not like I slit you vocal chords or anything. _I only do that to those I intend to kill."_

A whimper. She laughed cheerfully before continuing.

"You see, the name I'm most known under is a fool, one who does not seem to be competent in her job area, who is sidetracked easily, one who is little more then a pawn for others." She tilted her head off to one side, as though in thought. "But then, that leads to the question, 'How did one so incompetent gain such a high position?' I tell you now, it is not because I am a favored demon of the Daimakaicho or her kin. Such creatures are useless to the Daimakaicho and have no place in Niflheim, where the unwary can find themselves devoured, _or worse._ No, it is far greater then that. You see..."

She kneeled down, bringing her face mere inches from his own. She brought her free hand up under his chin, tilting the deity's head to whisper in his ear.

Mimir's resulting scream was great enough to have been heard even above the shouts and cries that enveloped the village of Eldenroth.

Deep within the land of Niflheim, where the true Daimakaicho resided, Hild's face broke out into a smile.

Her laughter was deep and terrifying.

* * *

The forest had gone eerily silent with the invaders approach. The crunch of boots upon fallen branches, the shuffle of clothes, and the soft grunts that escaped the throats of the Tau'ri every so often were the only sounds evident in the forest. Not even the songs of the local insects were audible-all the native inhabitants had gone quiet in the wake of the possessed.

Where were they going? Their destination was unknown, only that something was guiding them, tugging at their guts like a leash on the collar of a dog. There was no choice but to follow the hand that held the leash-not unless they wished to choke.

Daniel and Teal'c had been lost in the aftermath of the chaos the duo had created. If the duo were smart, a cold, rational part of Jack reasoned, they'd head back to the 'gate rather then wait around the village tending to damage control.

It had been some time since the colonel and the major had departed the wreckage that had once held a village. Teal'c's actions against Jack had been brave, but foolish, in regards to the man's current state of mind and temporary abilities. A shot in the back with a staff weapon had lead to what would one day lead to a legendary 'flying Jaffa', as the possessed Jack had sent the poor alien flying through not one, but several buildings with the power lent to him by Hild.

Such an act would have easily killed even the hardiest of Jaffa, let alone a human.

Yet by the time Daniel had finally reached the building that had finally ended Teal'c's undesired flight, he'd found the large man damaged, but still alive, not even a single broken bone showing the fact he'd been thrown through various hard-wood buildings.

It was then that Daniel realized the true extent of just what had resulted from the time spent in Mara's company.

And by then it was too late.

The military half of SG-1 was gone, leaving nothing but a trail of fire and brimstone in their wake.

_Stop._

And that trail had finally led them to their destination.

A battlefield lay before them, and from it, a lone figure rose from where it knelt close to another entity, turning to regard the duo with inhuman red eyes. Searching, it devoured the officers in it's burning gaze, hungrily searching and seeming to grow as it found the power it sought.

Jack's world became a dazzling array of dark lights, brightening and dimming and spinning chaotically around his mindscape as Mara withdrew the power that Hild had lent him.

And reality returned to him with the iron hammer that was sanity.

A wail of despair weaved itself into a malevolent laugh as an ungodly energy ignited Mara's body. A fire that did not burn, with a demon at it's heart, the infernal being tilted her head to the heavens, as though in mockery of the very beings she found herself against time and time again. Her arms spread wide as the binds that withheld her abilities as a first-class demon were unleashed, leaving behind the humanity she had learned from her extended tour of the third-dimensional, mortal level.

The creature that remained was one such beast that Jack would not wish on even his most hated enemy.

_Now! Now you shall see true power!_ The demon that had once been disguised as a young, blond, fanged woman roared, before the creature crouched, pouncing on the figure Jack dimbly became aware of was a person.

A scream.

A snarl.

The color of freshly drawn blood.

And Jack's world exploded into oblivion.

* * *

Deep within the SGC, a little girl raised her head. Had anyone been accompanying the child, the smile she wore would have driven them deep into the throws of insanity had they been unfortunate enough to catch her expression. The deep laughter of a woman escaped the throat of a child, and with an energetic yowl that could not be produced by any human vocal cords, the avatar of Hild vanished from the living quarters granted to her.

Several levels further down, one General Hammond sat at the head of the briefing room. In front of him, various papers of different classifications glared up at him. He glared back, before shifting his glare to the others unfortunate enough to share his breathing space at that particular moment. "There must be something we're missing." He rumbled, a small part of him taking a certain amount of pleasure from watching his intelligence branch squirm uncomfortably off to either side of him. "What dot have you forgotten to connect?" The large man demanded, slamming a hand down upon the papers that were SG-1's latest mission report. "There must be something in here, some small, minute fact that you missed, something so big that you missed it entirely. But what? What was left out of the mission report?"

It was a woman's echoing laughter that answered the General, rather then the haunting silence that normally accompanied the intelligence branch whenever he called them in for a verbal lashing.

And his was not the only head that whipped from one corner of the room to the next, searching for its owner. The small unit that made up his best intelligence gatherers were all frowning, expressions ranging from mild annoyance at the interruption to down-right angry that someone dare take away from the tongue-lashing General Hammond was distributing to them all. A small part of him found it more then a little disturbing that there was not one ounce of concern for the odd experience on any one person's face.

He'd heard on several accounts that a career in the intelligence field often jaded people, sometimes to the point of appearing near-emotionless, but this? Even with past experiences with intelligence units under his command, he couldn't recall so little emotion in any action.

That small part of him decided to find a way to boost moral within the small group as quickly as possible, come a later time and date, when the SGC was _not_ currently undergoing yet another, sometimes daily, strange phenomenon.

"Do you _really_ want to know, _Oji-chan_?"

The papers in laying on the table rose with a sudden and mighty wind, only to be crushed back down upon the table as the producer of the wind appeared several feet above the table, somersaulting in the air once before seeming to dive down upon the table. An impact crater appeared underneath Hild's small body, the papers unfortunate enough to be caught underneath the silver-haired child's landing bursting into a flame that reeked of brimstone and rot. Slowly she rose from where she'd come to crouch kneeling, raising her eyes to meet the general's.

They were glowing.

"Hild! What is the meaning of this?"

Off to the side, General Hammond watched as one of his subordinates, Captain Vasquez, rose from his seat in alarm. He watched as pupils an unnatural shade of violet darted off to the side of where the man stood.

A small, dark hand clenched.

The Captain vanished in a scream.

Those same eyes returned to the general's, and as the room erupted into chaos, General Hammond found himself unable to look away from the creature he'd once thought a child, the world that consisted of a small briefing room disappearing and leaving nothing but the girl-child standing on a table and the SGC general standing before her.

The red glow illuminating Hild's eyes faded, yet Hammond still found the eyes somehow inhuman. "Your SG-1 team may not be the golden group you so often view them as, my dear general." She said, her voice an unusual pitch that portrayed a woman twice the age of the child on the table before her. "Even now, as we speak, your old Colonel and your little Major are butchering an innocent population, guilty of nothing but the association of a target-_my target_." The child leaned in close, and the large man was more then a little intimidated to find himself paralyzed and unable to maintain some sort of distance from the child. "And you haven't even learned the best of it yet. Your people are doing it _on their own accord_. And to think, all _I _did was throw a little nudge here and there to push them in the right direction. Little more then reigniting the flame of the volatile tendencies that dwell within all mortals."

_The man fell to his knees as the power that once possessed him vanished, watching in horrified awe as the demon attacked the god with a renewed, terrifying vigor. The god's screams were haunting, reaching through to him even as he brought his hands to his ears in a futile effort to drown out the noise._

Hammond's mouth parted open, and whatever force paralyzing his body dissipated, allowing the general to find his voice once more. Slowly, against everything withing him telling the man to turn and run, General Hammond leaned forward, drawing on all his discipline as an officer to keep his feet rooted to the ground. He placed his hands on the table, gripping the edges hard enough to turn pink flesh white.

"You're the one, aren't you?"

A landshark's smile grew behind the glittering eyes of a snake.

"The one _what_ General Hammond?"

_With the final bit of magic requested, the demon sealed the god in the very same weapon that held his position in heaven captive. It fell to the ground with a muffled 'thump', and with it, so too his cries, leaving the forest eerily quiet. With a smile caked with blood and soil, she felt the last of her temporary strength leave her, and without so much as a sound, she crumpled to the forest floor beside the weapon that held her enemy captive. A wheeze that might have been a sigh, had it been stronger. Her role was complete. Hild would be proud. Red eyes closed, and the demon released herself to the void of unconsciousness once more._

His thumbs, hidden beneath the cover of the solid wood that was the briefing table, began feeling along the edges of the table's rim. After several past incidents alone that had started between an alien nation and his people within the briefing room, he'd had it installed at his usual seat at the head of the table. A panic button, just when it felt like things couldn't get any worse in whatever current predicament he'd found himself in at that particular moment-usually at the hands of SG-1.

_The younger of the two lead the way through the forest, following the path of destruction the older man had wrought on the surrounding area. Behind him raced his darker half, staff weapon in hand, growing tense at every foreign sound the forest sang. With the chaos and destruction the rest of their group had brought down upon the planet, not even the trees, not even the animals, could be trusted. The entire planet had become their enemy with the assault of it's designated god._

"The ring leader in all this." He said, keeping his voice steady with a strength that he'd not initially believed he'd owned, keeping and holding his gaze with the demon in disguise. "It would make sense though, wouldn't it? The Goa'uld siblings appearance, your return with SG-1 from The Trio's ship, hell, even the odd way they've been acting since you're arrival-I'd been hoping against hope that it wasn't true-I had my suspicions, we all did in the long run-but I suppose your exposure confirms it. You're behind this whole incident, aren't you?"

_He froze as the destruction spread out into a battlefield, the source of his chase in the center, backs to he and his companion. "Jack!" He cried, running to the man sitting on his knees, even though the action must have caused him pain. "What happened? Are you okay? Sam? What's going on?" Slowly, as though not fully recognizing the voice that called his name, Jack turned to Daniel. The gaze that met Daniel's blue eyes sent shivers down his spine._

Hammond's thumb grazed something unnaturally smooth. He pressed it.

And with the speed that would have done any cowboy proud, he drew an M-9 with his other hand.

One was not foolish enough to walk around the SGC in such a high position without some sort of weapon on hand.

"_Daniel...what did I do?" The voice of a broken man exited the colonel's throat, mixing with the despair that darkened the older man's throat and twisting into Daniel's heart like the coils of some great snake. "I can't believe...how many people did I kill? How many innocent people did I _murder_?" Jack buried his hands in his hair in frustration. A mournful howl tore from his throat. "WHAT THE HELL DID I DO?"_

"In a manner of speaking..."

The void that had engulfed the two converse vanished, leaving the two in the chaos that had engulfed he briefing room with the initial destruction of the innocent captain. A displeased snarl appeared on the child's face, and the only sign that the room had once been filled with several SGC military members was a puff of smoke.

"...I suppose you might say I am."

"_Now isn't the time for such things." Sam's voice seemed distant and cold, her back remaining turned to her comrades as she stared down at the fallen demon. "Judging by what we have done, our first priority should be to get off-world. Whatever strange power that was with us is gone now. There's no telling when the locals may decide to come back at us for revenge."_

Above their heads, the klaxon's had begun to blare, though be it for an unscheduled off-world activation or for an unexpected cry for help from the briefing room, Hammond wasn't sure. What he was sure of, however, was the fact that the disappearance of his intelligence branch at Hild's hands had transformed the fear in his gut into something far more lethal.

"_Sam? What are you...Jack is...and what about Mara?" Something was wrong-still wrong, if Daniel paused to think about it. "How can you simply expect us to leave after everything we've done?"_

Anger drawing his lips into a thin straight line, General Hammond clicked off the safety of his weapon.

Hild raised an eyebrow.

_The major turned to stare at the archaeologist. Her glare was frightening and not an expression he'd ever once seen on the woman's face before. "Colonel O'Neil is not in his right mind at the moment, in case you haven't noticed. Mara is unconscious, and a couple of hours ago, every native on this planet has become a potential enemy." She stated. "I'm taking over command. And I say we get the hell off this dirt hole." _

"Give me my team back." the general ordered.

_Daniel turned his gaze from Sam to Jack to Teal'c, a look of worry, suspicion, and fear mixing into a stony gaze of question. Teal'c's only response was a small frown, one that spoke volumes in the forms of a distrust and suspicion all his own. A small nod, near-impossible to notice to those who did not know him well. Despite the suspicions, there was reason to her words. For the moment, it would be best to follow her instructions._

An amused smile curved upon the child's face. It was not kind. "Are you sure you're in any sort of position to make demands?" The Daimakaicho asked, tilting her head off to one side in curiosity. The fingers on the dark skinned child's left hand began to dance, and a ball of red light steady grew in front of her, bolts of a strange violet hue dancing about the orb.

_Jack's world became a blur of shapes and colors as he stared into a world shaped by tears. At either side, his arms had been lifted, bringing him to his feet. Shouts, orders, grunts, and two someones were on either side of him, supporting the legs that had become dead weight. Dead...like the people he'd killed in the village...The memories returned, and Jack gagged as the taste of fresh blood entered his mouth, the smell of burnt flesh entering his nostrils, and the horrified looks of all his victims surrounded him. Drowning in the terrified gazes of the fallen, he let the tears fall. _

General Hammond narrowed his gaze, aiming the gun at the demon's head.

_Their progress was slow. Jack wavered in and out of semi-consciousness, supported on either sides by Sam and Daniel. Behind them, Teal'c followed at an equally slow pace, an unconscious Mara cradled in his arms as he carefully chose his steps, taking care not to jostle any undiscovered injuries. "Sam, are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Daniel asked, his voice thick with worry as his head tilted from one side to the other, finding nothing familiar. Sam wasn't using any traveling gear, not with how full her arms were just supporting Jack and her weapon._

Hild continued. "After all, by now they should be making their way back to the stargate by now." Her fingers continued to dance. Her eyes stayed glued to his. The smile did not leave her face. "...Though you may want to send a medical team down to the 'gate before their arrival. A psychiatrist might be a wise idea too.

_Sam's initial response was a grunt. In front of her eyes, a small, impish creature with a frightening resemblance to the child that awaited them at the SGC darted in and out of her vision. "Trust me." She said, slowly chasing after the miniature Hild, watching as small arms signaled one way, then waved away another as the tiny Daimakaicho avatar guided her to safety. "I know where we're going."_

And that was when the doors to the briefing room burst open, Security Forces barging in screaming orders, their own weapons drawn as they found themselves in not so much a hostage situation as something more then a little disconcerting to those who caught sight of the event about to unfold. The sudden intrusion startled General Hammond from his conversation and the entity calling itself 'Hild', and with a startled shout, the general pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew to the child, and the older man watched in horror as rather then make an attempt to even dodge the projectile, the little girl brought her hand up, _flicking_ the bullet away from her with her fingers and sending the small munition back towards the general. Frozen in shock, the bullet brushed by him, slicing into his cheek before burying itself in the wall behind him, a small crater rising from the force of impact.

Hild frowned, one that spoke more of disappointment then displeasure. "It seems I'm growing tired of this game we play, General." She cooed, eyes drifting from the older man to the SF's that had taken to surrounding the duo, weapons drawn and waiting, yet suddenly paralyzed with an odd fear at seeing one of the very projectiles they used on a day to day basis reflected back at the one who fired the short.

Hild's face alighted with a grin. "I'd say it's time to play a different game now."

Above their heads, the klaxons that had just died down returned to life with a fresh vigor, the words _unscheduled off-world activation_ droning from the speakers located all throughout the SGC.

"I call it 'Chaos'." With a movement too quick for any human eyes to follow, Hild grabbed the orb of energy that had been forming at her fingertips, whipping it towards the general and cackling as it hit home, sending the man flying into the wall behind him before crumpling to the ground, a pained howl that sounded more animal then human escaping his throat.

She turned to the surrounding military members. They drew back several steps in fear. The child flashed them all a toothy smile. "Enjoy boys..." Her body began to fade, and one brave soul rose and gave to order to fire. Bullets rippled across the Daimakaicho's form, yet nothing but laughter greeted their ears above the roar of gunfire. "...and remember, I'm always watching..."

A call for a cease fire as the demon-child disappeared from sight altogether. "Someone check on the general!" Several people rose and darted to where the general had fallen.

One of them screamed.

Another cursed.

"What is it?" The commanding officer demanded, fighting his way through the rest of his people to where the general rested.

His mouth dropped. "Holy shit..."

Where once a man had fallen, now a wolf lay unconscious. As more approached, illuminous red eyes opened, and the beast rose unsteadily to its feet, lips pulling back against a cheek marred with blood in an ugly snarl.

Above their heads, the klaxons continued screaming.

* * *

From the heavens, a great beam of light shot down from the sky. She emerged from the light gracefully, hefting the heavy ax that was her weapon of choice over one shoulder carelessly. Light blues eyes stared with all the emotion of a statue-something ingrained into her from an early date.

Nothing but destruction lay before her.

_The ship descended upon the planet, and those left alive found themselves once more fleeing for cover. They knew the ship well. And where one demon had departed, now they once again found themselves in the company of Hell's residents._

Carefully, she walked through the remains that had once been a village, senses open for any signs of life that might help or hinder her quest. She paused, brushing a stray strand of hair and odd shade of blue that matched her eyes behind an ear. She kneeled, allowing her weapon to rest gently against her shoulder. A gloved hand gently grazed across the charred remains of a mortal's face, and through his eyes, she saw more.

_From the ship descended the demon herself, followed by the three underlings who called her 'master'. They walked away from the rings that had brought them down planet side, and those hidden watched and waited, fearing what other misfortune would befall their simple village. Where was their god? Why did he not appear to chase these invaders away? Had he abandoned them? _

Blue eyes hardened as a feeling of unrest stirred within her soul. _Be still._ She thought, listening to the other portions of her being grumble in discontent before falling silent once more. She rose to her feet.

_More departed the ship-those tainted by the demon, those who'd once held a place in the heart of the community they now sought to eliminate._

_Yet still..._

_A woman exited from the area she used as a hiding place, cautiously making her way to the group with a look of disbelief on her face. "Shindou, is that you?" She asked, her eyes focused on one Jaffa in particular as she made her way towards him._

_It was only a simple gesture from the Daimakaicho that prevented a premature death on the woman's part._

"_It..it is you...you've returned home to me..." The woman's voice trembled as recognition grew on her face, and finally she broke down crying, running to embrace the Jaffa. "Husband, you have returned to me!" She cried into his armor, voice ringing high against the metal that adorned his body._

She countinued her tour through the ruins, following one trial of destruction after another, the incidents behind such brutality flowing through her mind.

_Her actions seemed to spark something in the rest of those hiding. One by one, villagers slowly began their approach to the group-demon, Goa-uld, and Jaffa alike, before moving to embrace their kin, crying in joy over the ones they'd thought long lost. Their minds in shock over the very recent horror that had been brought down upon them, the sight of a long-lost kinsman seemed too much for their minds to handle, breaking down and running to the enemy with open arms._

_It wasn't until every last person was out in the open that Hild gave the order, sliding behind the trio of sisters who watched on with frowns of mixed negativity. _

"_Kill them."_

She paused, blinking back the sudden tears that assaulted her vision, surprised to feel them mark a trail down both her cheeks. An unfamiliar spark of rage, and the cramped pain of something desiring to burst from her chest. She brought a hand to her breast, feeling a rapid pulse. "Calm yourselves." She scolded, hearing two echoing screams in the back of her mind. "You will have your time."

_It was the middle sibling who approached Hild, ignoring the carcasses that now littered the ground, staining the earth black with the blood of those less fortunate enough to have been executed by means other then a staff weapon. "Daimakaicho?" She spoke drawing the woman who had given them power's attention. "For what purpose is this mindless slaughter? Many of the ones my Jaffa slew would have made excellent hosts. And one can never have too many slaves. Why such waste?"_

She froze, a look of dawning horror rising in her eyes as her gaze was drawn to a small dip in the village. Nothing but bodies littered the landscape, their faces-those that still had them-all the same look of terror.

_Her eyes alight with a bloodlust unique to the Daimakaicho, the silver-haired woman smiled. "Dear Child." She said, an elegant ax lined with various runes twirling at her fingertips. "The Jaffa I have supplied you are all you need in regards to slaves. I'll not be giving you any more without exception something else in compensation." She continued to toy with the odd weapon, tossing it from one hand to the other freely, her smile as mischievous as it was cruel. "No, what I want to accomplish is to send a message to someone-an old friend if you will."_

Her feet lifted off the ground, and slowly she rose above the skeletons of the village buildings, eyes a shade of blue ice remaining glued to the bodies littering the floor below her. Even with all her prior training and experience, nothing could prepare her for the sight that truly laid before her. She gasped, bringing a white sleeved arm to her mouth, fighting down the urge to vomit.

"_The contracts I've made on the Tau'ri homeworld are more then enough to make up for Heaven's little secret." Her chuckle was dark. "I've finally been able to restabilize the balance that has been steadily tipping in Heaven's favor for the past several decades, what with so many gods making themselves cozy on the third-dimension." She stopped her toying of the ax, listening with glee to the resulting screams that met her ears. The Daimakaicho dug the butt-end of the ax into the soil, wrapping her arms around the top end portion of the ax and resting her chin atop it, giving the appearance of a woman embracing her lover. "Are you happy now, Mimir?" She whispered to the ax. "Is this the Ragnarök you saw in your well?"_

It was a message. The corpses had been used to spell out a message, visible only from one who took the time to rise to the heavens. Torsos had been twisted, limbs had been bent, all in ways a humans body was not ment to bend. Bone protruded from flesh, Heads lay bent and broken, and eyes, oh so many eyes, stared up to the heavens in question, in terror, in horror and pain. Staring as though asking the heavens '_why?'_ Staring at _her_ in question.

"_We demons are not here to clean up Heaven's mistakes. The very fact that we had to intervene at all is a matter of questions. The gods are growing to arrogant, it seems, with their positions. They are forgetting themselves, and need a reminder. I believe this will serve that purpose."_

The wave of negativity wafting from the fallen victims assaulted her, and, unprepared for the covert attack, she lost her concentration, the magic holding herself aloft vanishing and sending her plummeting to the ground.

She landed on something with too much give to have been the ground.

She looked to the object she'd impacted, blue eyes meeting cold dead eyes that might have been a reflection of her own, when the soul that once resided it still dwelt within the land of the living.

She screamed.

Scrambling to her feet, she bolted away from the execution zone, rage and fear and horror over what had befallen the residents of the planet weighing down upon her chest like an iron weight. It wasn't until she entered the clearing in the forest that she stopped. Dimly aware of the tight grip that remained upon her weapon, she kneeled once more.

One word escaped Lind's lips.

"Tau'ri."

* * *

A/N: And so ends the first volume of Devil's Hotline. Have I scared away any of my readers yet?

Recently I've come to realize that my stories grow intensely more violent depending on my current job situation, to the point where I'm starting to wonder if I'm not using the poor character's I've kidnapped and thrown together as some sort of stress relief. Despite that fact though, more or less, the story has remained true to the initial plot line I had in mind for the story, If one or two minor things were added or changed for story benefit. I've known I was close to finishing this portion of the series from the get go, which is one reason why you haven't seen me with any updates to my other series-though for those reading both, they may stumble upon several hints as to a relationship between both series that I'd been originally bantering with to keep separate or include. Either way, sorry these past chapters have become so long and difficult-it feels like there was too much conversation and not enough action, one of my major weaknesses, it feels, as an author.

Character-wise, I realize that several people may be acting a little OOC, but the way I see it, it's to be expected when spending several days in the company of the Daimakaicho herself. The next story is only going to grow worst from there, as more elements of AMG slowly work themselves into the SGC, while, likewise, a certain member of SG-1 is going to find themselves in a rather odd position in regards to Keiichi and Belldandy.

I'll leave you with that tidbit for now. Next update should be either Origins or Angel Biter. Be on the look out.


End file.
